


The Shadow Stratagem

by belncaz



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Rakuzan GOM, Rakuzan Kuroko Tetsuya, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:46:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5135162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belncaz/pseuds/belncaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko & the GoM all attend Rakuzan but they don't know each other because Kuroko quit the basketball team in elementary school. Kagami transfers to Rakuzan & befriends Kuroko, drawing the GoM's attention toward him. The GoM must brace themselves as complications ensue when Kuroko turns out to be more significant than he first appeared.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basuke.  
> This story is also on FFnet, same username - this is my first fanfic but I just completed the import (once I learned clicking the rich text button makes copy/paste easier it went so much faster; yikes I wish I had know that earlier!).  
> In this KnB world Rakuzan goes from kindergarten through high school so that I could get this to work the way I wanted.  
> I hope you enjoy the story :)

At the prestigious Rakuzan Academy, there were certain implicit rules that everyone understood, despite their not being recorded in the student handbook. First, basketball was the dominant sport of the school from kindergarten through high school, and second, the high school basketball team's captain, Akashi Seijuro, was absolute. He was popular, handsome in a cold, severe way, a brilliant student, and ruthless competitor. He brooked no disobedience among his peers and even his teachers were in awe of him.

Kuroko Tetsuya, by contrast, was largely invisible. He was mild-mannered and wanted only to be left alone. He did everything he could to avoid trouble and his small stature along with almost indiscernible presence meant he was usually safe from unwanted attention. In fact, most of his classmates would have been surprised to know he was even in the same room as they were most of the time. He was quiet, unremarkable in most respects, but was intelligent and usually good at getting out of difficult situations. His best friend, Kagami Taiga, was the only exception to his customary loner status. Kagami was athletic, brash, and extremely loyal, but not the brightest student Rakuzan had ever had. He was a transfer student; having lived in America until just before the new school year and had been placed in Kuroko's class at Rakuzan.

They made for an odd duo, but Kagami had found himself befriending the quiet teen almost accidentally. One Saturday while at lunch at Maji Burger, Kagami had sat at what he thought was an empty table, only to have a shy greeting make him jump in his chair.

"Hello." Kuroko offered quietly while sipping what looked like a vanilla milkshake.

"Who the hell are you? When did you get there?"

"I was already sitting here, Kagami-kun."

"Huh? How do you know who I am?"

"I'm in your class. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. I sit behind you."

Although he initially had a difficult time believing the 'empty' desk behind him actually belonged to this person, Kagami laughed as Kuroko detailed several instances from class when Kagami had gotten in trouble for sleeping or being unprepared. It seemed that while he had just overlooked Kuroko, it had not gone the other way. He tossed Kuroko a hamburger from his massive pile and said "Maybe you'd be more noticeable if you bulk up a little. Is that seriously all you have for lunch?" They'd found themselves hanging out that afternoon as Kuroko showed Kagami around the area and had given Kagami more information about their school. Kuroko mentioned that club tryouts were next week and Kagami's eyes lit up when he heard how strong the basketball team was supposed to be, he couldn't wait to try out!

Kagami quickly found his way to the Rakuzan basketball team's practice during the testing period and Akashi, taking notice of his prowess, accepted him on the first-string squad. Kuroko was happy for his friend, but he did not anticipate the loss he'd feel by being alone as Kagami's time was eaten up by the commitments to practice. He was slightly jealous, but he understood. Rakuzan's team had the Generation of Miracles, a group of talented prodigies that had all reached stellar heights of skill during the middle school level and they made every player practice to their limit to stay on the first string. Failure meant demotion and Kagami loved the game too much to even consider slacking off. Kuroko offered only that he would miss their conversations on the way home, since Kagami would leave later in the evening due to practice. Kagami, in a rare moment of awareness, suggested Kuroko could study in the gym while he practiced and they could leave afterwards together just like before. Although Kuroko was initially worried about his causing a problem by being there, he figured he could easily stay out of the way and continue to be unnoticed. Kuroko smiled at his friend while softly agreeing to the plan. He could study almost anywhere and the gym, while noisy, had a certain rhythmic pattern that didn't interrupt his studies.

It became their habit for Kuroko to study quietly up in the bleachers while the team practiced and after Kagami was finished and cleaned up, they'd head to the station and make their way home since they lived near each other. Kuroko would occasionally observe the practice if he was taking a break from studying and knew all the athletes' names and most of their skills. He had even developed a habit of writing down his thoughts on potential strategies and comments about their practice games, not with any real purpose; it was just a natural part of his observations. He'd never shared he was doing this with Kagami, but he would sometimes give him small hints as to how to improve his playing, but always provided them as if he didn't know what he was really saying.

This routine went on for weeks until one afternoon when Kuroko's calm world was upended. He couldn't have said what exactly tipped him off, but he felt a basketball coming toward him at high speed and instantly ducked to avoid being hit. Kuroko heard some yelling as a player was being scolded for their careless aim, but then found himself hoisted up, up, into the air away from his notes by the purple-haired giant known as Murasakibara.

"Hey! Put me down!" Kuroko tried to squirm free but his efforts proved futile as he was held easily aloft.

"Akachin, I think we have a spy" the giant rumbled as he grasped the collar of Kuroko's uniform lazily in one hand while passing the errant basketball back to the court with the other.

"Don't be absurd, Murasakibara. He's wearing our school uniform," this rational observation came from a green-haired player that Kuroko knew was Midorima.

"OI! Put Kuroko down, Murasakibara!" Kagami's voice slashed through the gym as he noticed Kuroko's predicament.

"Hmm? Taiga, do you know him?" Akashi's quiet, cultured tones made for an odd contrast to the harsh sounds of the other athletes practicing. The crimson-haired teen took in the situation quite calmly, but it was clear he was annoyed by the interruption.

"Yeah, that's my friend Kuroko. He's in my class."

"Another transfer student? How curious. Atsushi, you may put him down."

"Okay Akachin. I'm getting some snacks now." Murasakibara gently set Kuroko down and peered at him briefly before lumbering away to rifle through his snack collection.

Kuroko blinked at the retreating form while trying to calm his own breathing. He wasn't hurt, just startled from the whole experience and unsure of how to proceed. He shot a quick glance around and after seeing more and more of the team was stopping their practice to observe the confrontation, he quickly began collecting his things as they'd been disturbed when he'd been so unceremoniously lifted up.

"If not to spy, why are you here?" Kise's question cut straight to him, even though he was some distance away from the blue-haired teen. "Surely you are not intending to try out for the team?" His golden gaze spilled over Kuroko, noting no particularly athletic qualities about this boy.

Kuroko looked up and over at him, meeting his eyes briefly before continuing to gather up his belongings. "No, Kise-kun. I have no such aspiration. I apologize for interrupting your practice. I was only waiting for Kagami-kun." He paused before shouldering his bag and began moving toward the door. "I will wait elsewhere from now on."

He turned to exit but stopped and addressed Akashi again, "And if I may correct one thing, I am not a transfer student. I have been at this school just as long as you have." Akashi's face showed his surprise; he prided himself on his awareness of the student body but he had never taken notice of this person before. To learn that, apparently, this other boy has been in his year since primary school? He couldn't believe it!

"Hey, Kuroko, are you alright?" Kagami's voice revealed his concern for his small friend. It was unusual for him to react like this after all.

"Yes, I'm fine. I should have sat higher up but Haizaki-kun's girlfriend was in my usual spot." He gave a small bow and then looked over at Kagami, "I will wait by the entrance, please work hard." With that, he slipped out of the gymnasium.

"His 'usual spot'? What's that mean? How did he know that's Haizakicchi's girlfriend?" Kise asked curiously.

"Well he's been studying in here since I got on the team. He's probably seen her before." Kagami offered this without realizing he had inadvertently raised Akashi's interest in his friend.

"Oho! How adorable, he waits for you to be done! Is he your boyfriend, Kagami?" The teasing comment came of course, from Aomine, Kagami's rival and sometimes mentor on the team.

"Don't be an asshole Aomine. He's my best friend!"

It appeared the two were prepared to continue trading insults when suddenly a piercing whistle sounded through the gym. "Enough of this. Back to practice everyone!" The coach was undeniably angry they had wasted time on such a trivial incident. Everyone moved back to their tasks with exceptional quickness to avoid adding to their already extensive training menu.

But Akashi wasn't through thinking about the blue-haired teen who had dared to meet his eyes and defy him, however minimally, by speaking back to him. He slipped over to the bleachers, reaching for a notebook that had fallen out of Kuroko's sight. Kuroko had been a bit unnerved once more of the team had begun to look at him and Akashi thought that was probably the reason the other boy had failed to notice he was missing one. He put it into his own bag without comment. Kagami didn't notice this, but Midorima did and raised his eyebrows at Akashi in question. Akashi merely smiled and shook his head. Midorima understood, shrugged, and went back to shooting his powerful three-pointers.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

* * *

 

The following morning Akashi reviewed the school records for one Kuroko Tetsuya with a great deal of interest. He had access to the documents by virtue of his office as Student Council President and while he rarely availed himself of these resources for mere personal reasons, he was intrigued by the blue-haired boy he'd met yesterday. The records were so nondescript, so completely average, that one might question what the charismatic teen found so compelling within those pages, if one didn't know of Akashi's own talent for reading between the lines. And there were two lines in particular on Kuroko's school record, his third and fourth grade years at Rakuzan, that had something very interesting indeed on them: Basketball Club, Starter. Akashi set the folder down next to the notebook he had taken. Interesting. That's most certainly what this was. Akashi reached for his cellphone and quickly tapped out a message to Atsushi. Akashi glanced at the shogi board on the table in front of him and smiled. The match was on.

Kuroko was sitting quietly in his last lesson of the day, taking notes and listening to the teacher, when he felt someone looking at him. He glanced around and saw Akashi at the door to his classroom. Akashi smiled at him and for some reason Kuroko was uneasy, but the other teen simply gave a note to the teacher and left with a nod to Kagami. Although he found the moment unsettling, Kuroko dismissed the incident and returned his attention to his notes and the teacher's voice. At the end of class, the teacher asked him to stay behind.

"Kuroko-kun, are you free this afternoon? Today's student worker for the library is apparently ill and can't cover the shift. The note I received in class was to check to see if you could be on duty in his stead?"

"Yes. I understand. I can cover it."

"Wonderful! I know we all appreciate your cooperation."

Kuroko nodded and left the classroom, headed toward the library. He supposed it wasn't really so unusual that Akashi would have brought the request, Akashi was considered a liaison between students and staff after all. But there were many other students on the library-duty roster, he was not certain of the likelihood that this was mere coincidence. He was convinced of that when he opened the doors and saw Akashi sitting at a table with Murasakibara a short distance from the library's entryway. He paused on the threshold and took in the surroundings, he was wary and tensed to move away, but noted neither of the athletes seemed particularly interested in his arrival so he relaxed and went to the counter to speak with the librarian. She smiled at him and pointed to a cart of books that needed to be shelved. He nodded and pushed the cart away.

"Why are we here again, Akachin?" Murasakibara didn't mind not being at practice with everyone but he didn't really understand why they had come here. He yawned and reached furtively for another snack while waiting for Akashi's reply. He'd already been reprimanded once by the librarian for eating in there so he was moving with more caution than he might otherwise.

"I assure you this is no idle errand. But for now, be patient." Akashi watched Kuroko work for a few moments before softly murmuring, "Atsushi, please come with me."

"What? Okay, Akachin." Murasakibara was generally agreeable and obedient to his captain, and moved out of his chair with an unhurried grace that was surprising in one so large.

With Murasakibara in tow, Akashi made his way toward the blue-haired teen, who had maneuvered the cart down an aisle and was about to place a book on a shelf when he stiffened and turned to look at the newcomers.

"Hello Kuroko-kun. You have good instincts, it seems." Akashi smiled at the other boy, purposefully trying to keep his voice approachable to set Kuroko at ease. It didn't work. He could see Kuroko was tensed to flee around the other end of the aisle if the situation warranted it; his fingers gripped the cart handle as if prepared to shove it in their way. Ah, so this would not be so easy. What an unusual person Kuroko was turning out to be...

"Atsushi, wasn't there something you needed to say to Kuroko-kun?"

"Oh? Oh yeah." Murasakibara moved from behind Akashi to stand next to his captain, creating a solid wall from that side of the aisle. His forehead wrinkled as he struggled to remember what he'd been told to say. What was it? He'd be in trouble if he didn't remember soon and be punished for it. He didn't want to make Akachin mad…oh, right, that was it.

"I'm sorry I picked you up yesterday and for accusing you of being a spy. Akachin tells me that was rude." He looked at Akashi to check to see if that was right and noted that Akashi appeared to be waiting for something else. Murasakibara offered a bow to Kuroko and mumbled again "I'm sorry."

Kuroko was dumbfounded. One of the powerful Generation of Miracles members had just apologized to him; apparently at the captain's behest. He didn't know what to say but out of instinct more than anything else he returned the bow and replied "Thank you for taking the trouble, but it was my fault for disturbing the practice. Please, forget it." His eyes met Murasakibara's and a small smile crossed Kuroko's face. Both the purple and crimson haired teens gaped at how the smile, fleeting as it was, transformed Kuroko's unassuming appearance into something entirely different, even extraordinary. Murasakibara instinctively reached out to touch Kuroko, perhaps to ruffle his hair, but Kuroko ducked away in a manner that wouldn't have seemed obvious to almost anyone else, but Akashi recognized the years of training behind the movement. He smiled. It seemed his suspicions were right.

"That was well done, Atsushi. You should go join the others in the gym now. I'll be there momentarily."

Murasakibara shrugged and turned to go back, walking slowly down the aisle and away from the two smaller teens.

Akashi kept his attention directed toward Kuroko for a moment before saying, "I'd also like to apologize for yesterday's incident. Atsushi means well but he often reacts without really thinking anything through. We certainly didn't intend such an inhospitable welcome to a fellow Rakuzan student. I am surprised you would chose to study in such a noisy environment, however. Although Taiga confirmed you've been doing it since he made the team?"

"No, please, Akashi-kun, I shouldn't have been intruding there in the first place. I know it was just an odd circumstance. I appreciate both yours and Murasakibara-kun's consideration of me, but I wasn't hurt and I was the interloper. Kagami-kun and I live near each other and it was simply convenient to wait there until after practice so we could catch a train together. The noise didn't bother me, but I realized yesterday that there is the potential for a ball to come at me and I don't want to disturb anyone. So I've decided it is best if I study elsewhere while Kagami-kun practices."

"You were remarkably agile in your evasion of that ball. If I may say so, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself."

"Intuition. And being shorter has to have some advantages, I suppose. It would have been hard for the ball to have missed Kagami-kun for example, if he wasn't paying attention to it after all." Kuroko chuckled briefly at the mental image he'd created of his friend being caught unawares by a stray basketball and the sound caught Akashi's attention in a way he couldn't explain. He just knew he wanted to hear it again.

"Taiga is definitely not easily missed in most respects" Akashi commented. "It makes your friendship all the more remarkable, really. How someone so naturally in the spotlight could bond with someone that seems more comfortable out of plain sight."

Kuroko was silent for a moment as he considered Akashi's words. "I don't know that it should be that strange, Akashi-kun. Kagami-kun is a good person and I respect him. I can't really speak for him on his reasons for being my friend, but I think those that are bright lights like Kagami-kun, but haven't become absorbed in their own power, can attach themselves to others without blinding them with their brilliance. He doesn't ask me to be something I'm not. It just works for us."

The earnest conviction in Kuroko's words was captivating and Akashi, almost involuntarily, moved slightly toward Kuroko but Kuroko immediately took another step back to increase the distance between them. He looked awkward and embarrassed by his own reaction but managed to say calmly enough, "I should finish this. Thank you encouraging the apology, but it was not necessary." He began to turn away when Akashi's voice stopped him.

"I have something of yours, Kuroko-kun. Won't you let me return it to you?" The words were friendly enough, but the delivery, somehow simultaneously amused and triumphant, nonetheless made Kuroko nervous. He turned back toward the basketball player and waited while Akashi removed a familiar-looking notebook from his bag and extended it toward him.

Kuroko's blue eyes widened. He hadn't noticed that he was missing a notebook from yesterday and especially as it was  _that one_  was a cause for concern. His eyes met Akashi's again and he reached hesitantly out to take the book from the other teen, who let it go without a fuss. Kuroko released the breath he'd been unknowingly holding and awkwardly nodded his head in thanks. Akashi looked at him, considering his next move, before uttering words that sent chills down Kuroko's spine.

"It seems you have some hidden depths, Kuroko-kun. I will warn you, it won't be so easy to stay hidden from me anymore. I can see you now." With that and a slight smile, Akashi left Kuroko and headed out to join his team for practice.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

 

Akashi's cryptic farewell shook Kuroko and he didn't know why. He felt exposed in a way that he hadn't been in a long time. It didn't help that suddenly, after years of sliding past without incident at Rakuzan, he now seemed to run into Akashi everywhere. They rarely spoke when they saw one another yet Kuroko would find himself almost trapped by the heterochromatic eyes of the basketball team's captain as they passed in the hallways or saw each other around the school. He knew he was being ridiculous, of course he was. But Kuroko still felt like he was being hunted by a predator whose motives were unclear. This went on for several weeks until finally the balance shifted.

"Kuroko! Oi! Wait up!" Kagami's voice reached him as he was turning a corner to head to his study spot and he relaxed a bit to hear it. He turned his head to greet his friend and saw he was with Aomine, who nodded lazily at him.

"Hello Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun. Are you off to practice?"

"In fact we are. But Akashi asked if you would come by today? He said you had some ideas for improvements the team could make. I didn't know you knew anything about basketball but Akashi said you had talked some before about strategy." Kagami wasn't aware of the consequences of his statements, but he had just reinforced Kuroko's fear that the captain wanted something from him.

"Ah, well, Kagami-kun, I can't today. I have – "

Aomine cut him off impatiently, "Akashi asked me to remind you about something. I can't remember exactly but he called it something like the Phantom Player," he was restless and it was clear he didn't know why he'd been sent along with Kagami on this odd little errand. "He said you would want to talk about that and that it would be a big help to the team, especially this idiot over here" Aomine nodded toward Kagami.

"What the hell? Who're you to talk, bastard!" Kagami retorted and the two began exchanging insults faster than most people could follow.

Kuroko had frozen at Aomine's interruption. He knew Akashi had probably glanced through the notebook, but having Aomine casually bring up a connection to his past was an unexpected move from the shrewd captain. Kuroko bit his lip as he considered his options. He finally concluded that it couldn't hurt to go and see what Akashi wanted, after all those notes were hardly that incriminating. Even Akashi's hidden greeting delivered via Aomine couldn't really be that significant, could it?

"Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun, if you could please stop fighting, we'd better get to the gym before you are late." Both players immediately quieted and would have taken off at a sprint if it hadn't occurred to them they couldn't arrive without Kuroko. The three of them proceeded to the practice area with only the odd comment exchanged between them.

When they arrived at the first-string gym, Kuroko noticed the pink-haired Momoi-san was waiting for them. The manager smiled before stating, "Hello Kuroko-kun. It's a pleasure to meet you. Akashi-sama said I should keep an eye out for you once you arrived. He wanted to make sure you didn't get overwhelmed since your last visit was so dramatic. I will keep you company until he's ready for you." Then, looking at Aomine and Kagami, "You two had better go on and get ready. Akashi's already warming up." They visibly gulped and went running for the locker room to change.

Kuroko mentally tipped his hat to Akashi for the preemptive strike. He correctly interpreted this ambush to mean that Momoi-san would stay with him so he couldn't slip out among the chaos of the assembling players. While he resented the situation, Kuroko was resigned, for the moment, to bear this with good grace. At least until he could think of a better option or knew why he was there in the first place.

"Thank you for looking after me, Momoi-san. I appreciate your efforts." He gave her a smile and a neat bow, completely unaware that she was transfixed by his sudden, though slight, show of gracious emotion.

"Ah, ah, of course, Kuroko-kun." Her voice shook a little; she didn't know why she felt flustered by this unassuming person standing in front of her. She gave herself a mental shake and gestured toward the viewing area. "We can watch from there." Kuroko nodded and followed her over to the designated spot, seating himself next to her while strategically choosing to make it harder for the athletes to see him by using her more energetic presence as a shield.

He waited until she had arranged her belongings before asking, "Momoi-san, do you know why Akashi-kun wanted me here today?"

Momoi leaned over to him to be heard above the noise in the gym, "Akashi-sama implemented some of your suggestions and the team practices have been going even more smoothly lately. He probably wants to thank you for your ideas."

Kuroko didn't really know what to make of her reply since he hardly needed to come to the gym for that; however he let it go after thanking Momoi and reconciled himself to wait for Akashi's motives to become clear. He turned his attention to the ongoing practice and watched Akashi's flawless leadership over the team. He'd noted it during his weeks of studying in the gym, but it really was amazing how Akashi could wrangle all these strong personalities and their talents into a team. He sighed with annoyance when he noticed Akashi had indeed used some of the ideas from his notebook but then mentally shrugged as he realized there was no real harm in it. He wasn't going to use the information on his own after all. It was just a little annoying that Akashi had felt it was his right to use them without asking permission. Then again, Kuroko smiled inwardly, he couldn't exactly imagine Akashi even considering that he would have needed to do such a thing.

A shrill whistle sounded, signaling a 15 minute break for everyone to hydrate and otherwise refresh themselves. Kagami trotted over to visit, and then shortly after that Murasakibara plopped down next to him with a large bag of snacks.

"Kurochin, do you want some?" the purple-haired player shyly offered a foil-wrapped snack to him. Kuroko was aware of Murasakibara's manner of addressing familiar people, but he was surprised to be included in this habit since they'd only really spoken during the apology in the library.

"Mukkun! You never share your snacks!" Momoi's surprise was real. Kagami was similarly thrown; he'd seen Murasakibara threaten physical violence to those that even looked at his snack pile.

Kuroko knew he was on dangerous ground here. He didn't want to rebuff this apparently rare gesture and needlessly embarrass Murasakibara, but Kuroko was also fully aware that this was a significant move that did not signal an easy return to anonymity. He hesitated before trying, "Ah, thank you Murasakibara-kun, but you've been working very hard in practice today, and you need to make sure you have enough to replenish your strength."

Murasakibara looked confused, and paused in an attempt to gather his thoughts before he replied, "I have been practicing better and it doesn't hurt like it used to. Akachin said it was your idea for me to do different training for my legs so I can be stronger. I don't like the extra work, but I like that I am not so sore after practice and games anymore." His eyes shone with an endearing uncertainty and just like that Kuroko knew he couldn't risk hurting this gentle person by refusing what was clearly a heartfelt attempt at thanks.

"Thank you, Murasakibara-kun. I am a little hungry." He took the proffered snack from the purple-haired teen and smiled up at him. Murasakibara wanted to hug the smaller male however he remembered how Kuroko had ducked away in the library so he contented himself with a nod. Murasakibara wasn't sure why, but he wanted to spend more time with this person and his instincts told him that Kuroko was a bit like the stray animals he tried to befriend in his neighborhood – he'd have to proceed cautiously and at the other's pace if he wanted to earn Kuroko's trust.

The four of them remained there, not really speaking yet surprisingly comfortable with the silence that was measured by Murasakibara's snacking, until the whistle sounded again, signaling that the players needed to reassemble. Murasakibara got up and Kuroko thanked him again for the snack. The larger teen may have flushed slightly at the warmth in Kuroko's words as he loped back to the court without further comment. "See you later, Kuroko, I know you're staying to talk to Akashi after this but I'll wait for you outside so we can catch the late train." Kagami's words eased an anxiety he hadn't know he was feeling. He nodded to his friend and waved him back to the court.

"I can't believe he willingly gave up a snack. You have no idea how rare that is. He must really have noticed a difference in his training to inspire that reaction!" Momoi's voice sounded awed and she was staring at the offering like it was a magical item. Kuroko shrugged and replied, "I didn't make the actual change to his training, I am glad he's not hurting as much, but it was someone else's decision to do it and his own efforts that helped him."

Momoi looked at him carefully and suddenly smiled. "Well, it certainly made an impression, in any case." She glanced around and noticed the coach waving her over. "Sorry Kuroko-kun, I've got to leave for a bit. It was nice to meet you!" Kuroko returned the sentiment to the manager and settled in to watch the rest of practice. He was very still and quiet and if you weren't specifically searching for him you might not know he was there. Despite this, a number of eyes wandered his way over the remaining course of the practice. Several people wondered about him, a few dismissed him, and some made plans for him.

After the players were excused for the night and everything cleaned, Kuroko was abruptly struck by how alone he would be with Akashi. He stiffened and got up to leave when he felt a hand gently, though quite firmly, grab his shoulder to prevent him from escaping.

"Hello Kuroko-kun. I am so pleased you were able to make it and stay to observe practice. Let's have a chat, shall we?" Akashi's voice was controlled but insistent and Kuroko knew this was not actually a suggestion. Akashi removed his hand from Kuroko's shoulder, yet somehow the blue-haired boy didn't really feel like he was any freer for it.

The two males stood there in silence for moment while each was calculating and evaluating their opponent. It felt far more intense than a simple conversation might warrant and both of them were fully aware this was a battle of its own style. Akashi broke the stillness first, "I know you used to play for Rakuzan, Kuroko-kun. I don't know why you stopped but it's a bit puzzling to me that someone with such insightful critiques and ideas as I encountered in your notebook would just walk away from the sport altogether. Don't you like basketball?" The question was direct and Akashi's eyes held his as if he was really asking something else entirely.

The blue-haired teen hesitated a little before replying, "It's a sport that combines strategy and skill while relying on the trust and efforts of a team. You have to be strong yourself as well as work together to win. When it works, it enables the players and the fans to experience something remarkable. Yes, I suppose I do like it. And I respect people like Kagami-kun who devote themselves to it so completely; it's admirable to see someone pursue something they love with such commitment."

Akashi's eyes flashed with an emotion Kuroko couldn't read but it was easy enough to pick up on the contempt in his rejoinder, "I see. So you use Taiga as a proxy for something you yourself walked away from? I didn't take you for a coward, Kuroko. How disappointing."

It didn't seem as if Akashi's words had made any impression on the other as Kuroko simply stared at him for a moment. Then, before he could even see Kuroko move toward him to react, Akashi found himself on the receiving end of a powerful punch that sent him reeling. He touched his cheek in surprise; he could already feel the bruise forming and knew it would be an impressive reminder of this meeting for several days. "My compliments, Kuroko-kun. It has been a long time since someone managed to catch me unawares like that." His tone wasn't friendly in the least.

"You're an idiot Akashi-kun. You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not using Kagami-kun. It is true I used to play basketball for Rakuzan and that I haven't shared that information with him, but neither of those facts lessens my sincere appreciation of his skill."

The redhead nodded in acknowledgement of Kuroko's response. "Why did you stop playing, then? I could tell from that day in the library that you've kept up with some form of training. You've just reaffirmed my suspicion with that rather impressive display of temper. You move too well to simply be, for lack of a better word, a civilian. Yet you are in no other athletic clubs here at school and with the exception of Taiga, you seem to make a rather determined effort to avoid any contact with athletes at all."

Ah. So it had come to this point already, had it? Kuroko was impressed but dismayed by Akashi's tenacity. He needed to change gears and fast. "Akashi-kun, surely you don't track down every ex-basketball player and ask for an explanation. What do you want from me?"

Akashi shook his head impatiently, "I want to know what you're hiding, Tetsuya. Why doesn't Taiga know about your experience with basketball if you admire his love of it so much? Even if you aren't playing yourself, this seems a rather glaring lie-by-omission."

Kuroko's eyes widened at this sudden change in address. Akashi called the players on the team by their first names but he had, so far, always addressed Kuroko by his surname. Then the significance of the other words hit him as well. He had to tread carefully here. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean. I don't understand your interest in my friendship with Kagami-kun either. There's nothing –"

Akashi interrupted his denial again, "It seems there must be  _something_. I had a look at your student file. It's remarkable how consistently average you've managed to perform throughout your time here so that you don't stand out as either a delinquent or a prodigy. Except, for some reason, when you were in third and fourth grade you not only participated on the team, you started! Your notebook tells me that are you far more intelligent than you let on in your classes, although I can't for the life of me understand deliberately underperforming. And to add to the mystery, your passion for the game was perfectly clear in those observations you recorded from watching practices. Yet nobody seems to know any of this about you, including your friend, Taiga. Why is that?"

Kuroko bit his lip for a moment while he considered his options. He certainly didn't want Akashi to discover anything about his secret, how could he get out of this?

"Don't. Whatever foolish attempt to defy me that you are concocting, don't."

Kuroko regarded the other male in silence for a moment before he began to speak, and when he did, his voice seemed far colder than Akashi ever remembered hearing before. "Defy you? I wasn't aware you had such power over me that I could be in the position to  _defy_  you. I don't owe you anything, Akashi-kun. We're not friends and I am neither one of your players nor your servant. An Emperor Eye on the court doesn't translate to emperor's rights in a school. Whatever secrets you think I am hiding, if they do even exist, they aren't yours to know just because you think you have a right to them." He tilted his head to the side before continuing, "You are welcome to implement any of the training ideas you saw in the notebook, I don't care, but that's the extent of my willingness to indulge you in this matter. There's no reason for me to be of any further interest to you. You're reading far more into this than is necessary and it is has gone on long enough. Please, just leave me alone."

Akashi's eyes glinted with a curious intensity that told Kuroko he wasn't ready to let this go yet. "Then why are you hiding from the team? On your last visit here you didn't panic until more of the guys started looking at you. I didn't join the basketball team until after you left, but there are a few members from that squad that still attend this school and they didn't seem to place you either, even though you were a starter."

Kuroko's impassive face told him nothing. Yet Akashi knew he was considering saying something. When he next spoke, Akashi was taken aback by the humor in Kuroko's voice that made such a stark contrast to the cold tones of just moments before. "I just didn't like the attention, that's all. You may not be aware of this, Akashi-kun, but it can be a little disconcerting to suddenly find yourself stared at as if you were some sort of oddity by a large group of people. Which considering the circumstance was not an unfair reaction for them to have had. Did you ask them if they remember me? I'm sure they would with a little prompting. You seem to think there's some kind of conspiracy afoot, I assure you there is not. I wouldn't have thought you were this type of person, Akashi-kun. However, if that's what has you so interested then I can easily satisfy your curiosity. Being a starter on the elementary squad has far less significance than it does at your level. My performance there wasn't memorable, that's why I was called the Phantom Player—they often forgot I was there. It was years ago anyway and I was a mediocre player that was only able to be a starter due to a lack of extra members. They've had several dozen changes in lineups since then; with many teammates that have come and gone so there'd be little point in keeping me at the forefront of their memories."

Akashi was torn. On the one hand, this explanation was entirely plausible. For a moment he even doubted his own instincts as to why he was so intrigued by the male in front of him. But he was Akashi Seijuro, he couldn't be wrong, could he? No, he knew that there was more to the story. Kuroko's closed expression warned Akashi that he had possibly overplayed this round and he was unlikely to get too much more information out of the other teen. His mouth opened to ask again but this time he was cut off by Kuroko, his voice returning to the flat and emotionless quality that made him so hard to read, "No, Akashi-kun. I don't know what signals you picked up that indicated there was something mysterious about all of this when it is just a misunderstanding. But this has gone on long enough. You are far too busy to waste time chasing shadows. I'm leaving now. Its late and I have to catch the train with Kagami-kun." He picked up his bag and headed toward the exit without looking back at Akashi.

Akashi's eyes followed Kuroko's retreating form as he made his way out of the gym. "I don't think so, Tetsuya. I think I will know your secrets sooner or later."

Kuroko didn't look back at Akashi but his reply came through clearly as he stopped by the door, "Akashi-kun, confidence is a fine quality to have, but you don't even know why you care about this. If I did have something as precious as a secret worth keeping, why on earth would I yield it to someone whose only interest is idle curiosity?" Kuroko opened the door and went out, his words hitting Akashi with the same intensity as Kuroko's punch had met his face.

Akashi stayed in the gym for a long while, thinking and reflecting while absently practicing his shooting. This wasn't over. He needed to regroup, and clearly he had underestimated Kuroko's nerve, yet somehow, this encounter had only made it more interesting. And Akashi was definitely, without question, interested.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Kise hated days when he had P.E. class. Basketball practice was grueling enough on its own and there was no sympathy extended for already having exercised for an hour earlier in the day. It didn't help that he could easily outpace almost every person there no matter what activity they were doing for the day. He ended up being both bored and tired for something that seemed incredibly pointless. Today was no exception as he surveyed the arrangements underway for a joint-class dodgeball game. Honestly, could this get any more pathetic?

He was halfheartedly completing the warm-up stretches while looking around when Kise noted Murasakibara was leaning against a wall with an even less enthusiastic expression gracing his features. He was definitely someone that shared Kise's dislike for gym class and Kise made his way over to his teammate. They exchanged greetings before settling back to wait for team selections to begin; although both of them knew they'd be early picks. While lazily surveying the other students, Kise winced as he saw an extraordinarily uncoordinated guy trip over his own untied shoelace; the blonde remembered something he wanted to ask Murasakibara.

"Hey, Murasakibaracchi, do you have a crush on Momoicchi?"

The purple-haired teen paused in the middle of a truly impressive yawn to look at the blonde with confusion written plainly across his face. "Sacchin? Haven't needed to crush her yet, but she can be annoying sometimes."

Kise laughed at his teammate's misunderstanding. "No, not like you crush other players. Do you like her, as in, do you want to date her?"

"Date Sacchin? She's scary. And she doesn't like maibo." He stopped talking as if this was reason enough to discount a potential partner and Kise realized that for Murasakibara, it probably was.

"Oh, I just thought it was unusual for you to sit with her during the break yesterday. Did she have a new evaluation for you? I can tell you've improved over the last few weeks, so was she updating your statistics?"

"Huh? I was sitting with Kurochin. Sacchin was keeping him company. She said something about Akachin meeting with him after practice."

"Kurochin? You mean Kagamicchi's friend?"

Murasakibara nodded and Kise found himself honestly astounded. Why was that entirely unimpressive person garnering so much attention from people he admired? Before he could ask a follow up question the teacher called all the students over and began splitting them up into teams. As he'd expected, Kise was among the first picked, with Murasakibara immediately going to the other team. They exchanged glances and shrugged. It couldn't be helped and basketball loyalty only went so far, they were enemies on this court. The remaining students were quickly divided and the teacher cleared his throat and began to direct them.

"Okay, so now that we have our teams –" the teacher had just begun to issue instructions when he was politely interrupted, "Excuse me, but I don't have a team yet" and didn't that voice sound aggravatingly familiar for some reason?

"AH! Kuroko-kun! Why do you always do that?" the teacher's frustration was unquestionably a long-standing one. Kise surveyed the blue-haired teen that had moved up to stand next to their teacher with mounting dislike. This wasn't the first time his class had been paired with Kuroko's but he'd never noticed the other student before and he couldn't say he was pleased to see him now.

"I'm sorry. Which team would you like me to go to this time?"

The teacher sighed as both captains avoided his gaze. Even though only half of these students regularly had gym with Kuroko, he was notoriously bad at these things and the teacher understood why neither team wanted him. But, he thought philosophically, at least everyone's misery would be short-lived in this game since Kuroko-kun would undoubtedly be out early on. It wouldn't be anything like the nightmare swimming relay when Kuroko's limbs suddenly seemed to be made of lead and he kept almost drowning in the pool. Or the obstacle course where Kuroko had finished a full forty minutes after everyone else on his team. Or the archery lesson where…well, best not to dwell on such unpleasant memories.

It seemed he was taking too long to decide however as the two captains quickly played three rounds of rock-paper-scissors while he was thinking and he heard a triumphant crowing of "YOU get him!" followed by a series of groans from the team that had apparently lost. Kise smirked to see the shorter teen go to Murasakibara's side, but he was taken aback to see Murasakibara nod at the new arrival. Seriously? Murasakibara couldn't see what a liability Kuroko was going to be?

Kuroko collected the appropriate jersey and went over to his team without comment and the teacher had to give him this, Kuroko did always try very hard and he seemed impervious to the dismay with which his classmates received him.

"Alright, we'll begin playing momentarily. If you get hit, you're out. If you throw a ball but it is intercepted by the opposite team, you're out. You can catch a ball to prevent being out, but it has to be a clean catch; you can't drop it or trap it with your elbow or something like that. But mostly your strategy is to dodge the ball, thus the name of the game. Once you're out, line up along that mark and wait for a resurrection tag from a teammate that catches a ball; they can tag you back in. When the last member of a team is out the other team wins. Losing team does extra stamina drills." The teacher distributed three balls to each team and they got into position.

Kise spun the ball he'd been given in his hands as he waited for the signal for the game to begin. He didn't immediately see Kuroko but his shorter stature would afford him some protection in the early stages of the game. A sneer momentarily appeared on his face, he was especially glad Kuroko was on Murasakibara's team, he'd take extra care to get him out early on.

Once the whistle sounded it was all-out war. Few things got teenage boys more invigorated than a legitimate chance at physical combat and as everyone knew, dodgeball was just a sanctioned opportunity to throw something at someone else. The added incentive to avoid the stamina drills also lent a kind of crazed intensity to the players and raised the bloodlust to a near frenzied level.

Although he was disappointed he couldn't tag Kuroko out on his first strike, he did successfully catch someone else and knew it would only be a matter of time. Kise intercepted a ball from its trajectory toward his team and easily spun it back toward the other side; the initial thrower moved to the outside with a good-natured sigh along with his teammate that had been caught by the blonde's volley. Kise kept looking for the blue-haired nuisance and was surprised that he couldn't seem to find him in the crowd, but no matter, it was thinning out by the minute. He was astonished that Kuroko hadn't been hit yet but supposed everyone had to have a lucky day at some point.

When Kise caught another ball and finally saw Kuroko at the same time it was a magical moment for him and he added just a bit of extra force to the throw that he aimed at the smaller boy. He was subsequently astounded to see Kuroko meet his eyes as he tapped the ball back toward Kise. The ball hit his shoulder harder than he anticipated and Kuroko held his gaze for a moment as Kise saw a surprising flare of emotion in the other's usually stoic face. Kise hesitated but moved to the outside knowing he'd get tagged back in soon – the threat of losing made him a valuable asset in this game. Sure enough, when one of his teammates next caught a ball from the other side he was immediately tagged to re-enter.

After gaining custody of another ball he began systematically taking out the opposition; he _refused_ to lose to someone like Kuroko. Where the hell did he keep disappearing to, anyway? Kise was having an unexpectedly difficult time keeping track of him, although he'd catch flashes of blue out of the corner of his eye only to have the other teen seem to vanish. The blonde felt his irritation rising and threw the ball forcefully at the opposition out of spite, aiming for where he'd just seen his current nemesis. Kuroko again surprised him by dodging the ball and he found himself receiving another glare from the smaller teen. Soon it was down to five on three, with Kise, his team's captain (who was on the fencing team), a member of the gymnastics team, a guy from the swim team, and another boy he didn't know too well but was fairly sure played baseball, versus Murasakibara, a guy from the volleyball team, and Kuroko. They no longer had the time to tag anyone back in because of the surprisingly intense pace with which balls were being hurtled back and forth – taking precious time to try to make it to the sides for reinforcements would certainly lead to being caught.

Murasakibara was beginning to look a little anxious. Kise knew he feared the penalty of additional drills but right now Kise had no mercy to spare. He couldn't have explained exactly why Kuroko pissed him off so much but this was most likely the only opportunity he was ever going to have to directly prove his superiority over the other teen. When the gymnast had to duck down from the desperate force of Murasakibara's throw Kise knew this needed to end quickly before someone actually got crushed. As that thought crossed his mind the baseball player managed to graze the volleyball player so it was now five on two. Kise couldn't have prevented the gleeful smile on his face even if he'd wanted to. Absolutely perfect.

At least, it should have been. But for some reason Kuroko was not only simply hanging in there, there was a burning ferocity in his eyes that left no doubt in Kise's mind the other male somehow intended to win this game. This was reaffirmed as he saw Kuroko deflect a ball straight to his team's side that took out the swimmer and then quickly pivoted to block a ball headed for Murasakibara and with barely a glance to determine his target, sent the ball spinning toward the gymnast who was too surprised to dodge. Just like that it was three on two and Kuroko's team was screaming their support for their surprisingly adept player. Murasakibara managed to get the baseball player and the game dropped to two on two, Kise and his captain, and Kuroko with Murasakibara.

The teacher's whistle screeched and they all paused to look at him. "This is too close to keep playing since you are now essentially one to one and we're not going to have a sudden death round. I'm going to call the game a tie and in the spirit of recognizing the hard work of both teams, neither of you has to do the stamina drills." Cheers went up from both sides at this news and the sheer relief that was mirrored on Murasakibara's and Kuroko's faces actually made Kise want to smile for a moment until he realized he hadn't really won with this decision. He was fuming with his own frustration and didn't immediately notice that Kuroko had moved to stand in front of him. When he became conscious of it he arched an eyebrow in silent question.

"Thank you for an interesting game, Kise-kun. I appreciate your competitive spirit; it would have been very difficult to beat you if we'd kept going." Kise's jaw dropped at the other's words but Kuroko wasn't finished and as he continued his voice held a clear warning. "However, if you ever specifically target me like that again, please be aware I won't hold back. No matter how unequal the strengths of the competitors might appear, you owe your opponents your respect. You are strong, but you'll eventually fail if you can't recognize that in others." Kuroko held his gaze for a long moment and it seemed he was going to say something else before he visibly changed his mind. Instead, Kuroko gave a slight bow and turned away from the dumbstruck teen who could only wonder what the hell this kid's problem was. It was just a game; he hadn't even used his full strength when he sent those balls at Kuroko after all. But still, Kise felt an unfamiliar sense of shame over his actions and he didn't like that the blue haired boy had caused it.

He stood there in silence for a moment before crossing over to where several others were playing an impromptu game of basketball. The teacher had let them have the rest of the period for individual activity in lieu of the drills and Kise felt just shaken enough to retreat to the comfort of a sport he knew so well. His eyes searched the gym and he saw Kuroko was stopped by a few of their classmates, presumably receiving thanks and acknowledgments of his contribution to this unexpected reprieve. Kise noticed the teen seemed uncomfortable being the focus of their attention and was unsurprised when he managed to break away. He was very much surprised, however, when Kuroko elected to walk laps rather than take advantage of his lack of presence to avoid further activity, and was even further outdone when the eternally lazy Murasakibara joined him! What could they possibly have to talk about? Kuroko seemed like an uptight little nobody to Kise, what did Murasakibara find so fascinating about him?

"Kurochin. Kurochin. Can I walk with you?" Murasakibara's voice reached Kuroko as he was aimlessly walking the indoor track. The blue haired boy looked up as his dodgeball teammate fell into stride next to him, his long limbs could have easily outpaced Kuroko's speed but he had no motive for such exertion. Kuroko nodded his assent to the tall teen's request and the pair continued walking.

"You didn't want to play basketball with Kise, Murasakibara-kun?"

"No. I play enough basketball at practice and with games." His tone hinted at something Kuroko couldn't quite place.

"Don't you like basketball, Murasakibara-kun?" Kuroko inwardly frowned as he unintentionally borrowed Akashi's words from the previous afternoon.

"I'm good at it. But I don't like it. I don't like any sports really."

Although Kuroko would have liked to probe further, he was uneasy about delving into the private affairs of someone he didn't know particularly well. Besides, it seemed the basketball player had another conversational gambit in mind anyway.

"Kurochin, did you really punch Akachin yesterday?"

Well. That was unexpected. He glanced over at Murasakibara, who didn't seem especially concerned by the possibility that he had done such a thing. He sighed but admitted, "Yes, I did. It was not what I should have done; my temper got the better of me. Did he tell you about it?"

Murasakibara shook his head. "Not really. I saw his bruise this morning. When I asked him about it, Akachin just laughed and said he was careless during a one-on-one with you. But that's not damage from a basketball."

"I didn't control my reactions. He made me mad, but I know better." Murasakibara nodded and they continued their laps in silence for several minutes before the purple-haired male spoke again.

"I want Kurochin and Akachin to be friends."

Kuroko whipped his head around to stare at Murasakibara. "Huh? Where is that coming from, Murasakibara-kun?"

"Not too many people could get away with punching Akachin. I think even fewer can make him laugh. I don't think it's so easy to provoke you, either. Maybe both of you need that."

"While I agree that he probably needs at the very least a metaphorical punch every now and again, I'm not sure violence and provocation are a solid foundation for a friendship, Murasakibara-kun. And I didn't make him laugh, you did."

"Mm. Maybe. But I think Akachin had you come by practice yesterday to show you he valued your ideas. He already respects you, Kurochin. I like you, too. It'd mean I could see you more if the two of you got along."

Kuroko didn't immediately reply as he mulled this over. He knew Murasakibara wouldn't mind, even from their limited encounters so far Kuroko recognized the other male was comfortable with extended periods of quiet. He didn't know how much stock he'd really put in Murasakibara's interpretation of events so far, but he did know one thing, he'd unexpectedly found himself liking this person. The two maintained a companionable silence until finally he offered, "Murasakibara-kun, let me be direct. Akashi-kun unsettles me. I don't know if we can be friends. But I do like you, too."

Kuroko had cause to immediately question the wisdom of his statement as the purple-haired teen took the opportunity to ruffle his hair. "Please don't do that, Murasakibara-kun. You'll make me angry." To which the giant guffawed in response, because really, wasn't that the most adorable damn thing ever? But he did stop because Kurochin's face was kind of scary right then. Not that he was going to admit to that, ever.

Kise's eyes narrowed as he took in the two people walking. He'd found himself looking over at them periodically during his game, he hardly needed to devote his full attention at this level of play, but this turn of events felt threatening. He didn't like Murasakibara's choice to hang out with the smaller teen and seeing him act affectionately toward Kuroko when Kise was still smarting from Kuroko's earlier pointed criticism put him on edge.

So he needed to recognize the strengths of others to win, huh? Not bad advice, in its way. Well then, what he needed was more information about his newly-minted enemy. Kise would never be heralded as the most academically-inclined member of the Generation of Miracles, but he possessed a ruthless streak that could put him on par with Akashi when he was sufficiently motivated. And as he heard Murasakibara's laugh, he felt that just possibly, he could consider himself motivated to take down this annoyingly uptight little interloper.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. For Kise, it indicated the start of an entirely new game. And he was going to win.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Kuroko was more unsettled by his interactions with Kise and Murasakibara than he expected. He needed some distance from everything for a little while. And so that afternoon Kuroko deviated from his usual routine. Instead of waiting for his friend to finish practice, Kuroko had let Kagami know he'd be going home immediately after school. Kagami nodded and waved him off, agreeing to see one another the next day. After Kuroko entered his family's apartment and put away his things, he began preparing ingredients to make cookies. Because his parents and grandmother were away for an extended visit to other relatives, he could work in uninterrupted silence. For most things related to the culinary arts, Kuroko was competent, if not particularly inspired. Nobody was going to get sick from his efforts but they certainly weren't going to beat the door down to ask for his creations either. There were two exceptions to this general rule of mediocrity. First, he could boil an egg like nobody's business. Many a breakfast in the Kuroko household had been served by this skill and he was moderately proud of it despite the simplicity. And second, he had a mean arsenal of hard-won cookie recipes that he had labored over to perfect.

He resembled nothing so much as a focused young alchemist as he weighed and sorted the necessary items, mixing and beating them in turn, and eventually scooping the resulting dough onto prepared baking sheets. As he worked in batches and the air currents circulated aromas of butter and sugar, then chocolate and vanilla, and finally honey and almond, he felt soothed by the normalcy of this act. It was an area that belonged only to him, he didn't have to worry about Akashi or the other Generation of Miracles members, he didn't have to think about school, or anything else. Instead he just waited for the assorted treats to cool before carefully packing them into travel containers and then headed out again with his treasures.

Kuroko heard the sounds of playing before he saw it and a smile was already on his face as he rounded the corner to the boarding school. After watching the kids play for a moment he made his presence known with an easy call out to their teacher and the excited greetings and rushed hugs with which he was met made it abundantly clear they were delighted to see him again. It had been too long since his last visit. He'd been distracted the past few months and forgotten how much he loved being there.

"Onii-san, play with us!" was the general consensus and Kuroko had no intention of denying them. "Yes, of course. Just one moment please." He placed his bag by the walkway and after a hurried greeting to the teacher, Tanaka-sensei, Kuroko found himself drawn into a series of games ranging from the outright imaginative ("Yes, Yuki-chan, we can look for kappas in the koi pond.") to the suspiciously scored ("Shunsuke-chan, hiding cards is not the same thing as dealing them away.") to the slightly unconventional ("Glitter tag? What's that one, Jin-chan?").

Finally Tanaka-sensei announced they were at a stopping point and Kuroko managed to stagger away from his adoring playmates and collapse next to her. She took in his shimmering hair (as it turned out, glitter tag meant letting mischievous imps "tag" you with glitter when you were caught. They'd been fascinated with how the sparkles looked in his light blue hair so Kuroko had found himself chased more than he really thought was fair) and smiled at him before murmuring, "You spoil them, Kuroko-kun."

He smiled back at her and after gaining her approval to distribute the cookies he'd brought, returned to her side with a selection of each for her to enjoy. They sat in companionable silence while keeping an eye on the students before Kuroko finally asked the question they both knew was coming, "Tanaka-sensei, how is she?"

"Hoshi-chan is doing well Kuroko-kun. Why don't you go on in and see her?"

Having obtained permission, Kuroko got up, extracted a smaller container with some of the cookies he'd set aside from his bag, and navigated his way to the entrance. This wasn't as straightforward a task as it might seem, with several of the residents stopping him along the way to thank him for the cookies, ask for a hug, or to admire his sparkle-laden hair. Once he finally made it inside, he slipped off his sneakers and into a pair of indoor shoes before he made his way up the stairs to the common area on the second floor where he knew he'd be most likely to find his target.

He saw her sitting at a table with a sketchbook and a set of colored pencils, busily engrossed in drawing. Being familiar with her habits, he tapped the end of the table to let her know he was there and slid the cookies over to her. The girl immediately stopped her drawing and looked up at him with excitement. Her hands flew as she began a flurry of signed conversation, greeting him and then getting straight to the most interesting thing about him this afternoon, "Onii-san! Your hair is full of sparkles!"

"Good afternoon, Hoshi-chan." He signed back to her with an ease that was earned from long practice. "Yes, Jin-chan apparently decided a regular game of tag was too boring."

Her eyes lit up with a laughter she didn't vocalize but he sensed it all the same. He asked her about her day, the drawing she was working on, and how she was getting along with everyone, which prompted her to eagerly launch into an account of her life since his last visit.

They stayed there for a long time conversing with one another until finally one of the other staff members came to inform them it was time for dinner. He was invited to join in the meal but declined, saying he needed to return home. Hoshi's face fell when she realized he wouldn't stay, but he patted her head affectionately and promised to come back soon. Kuroko asked her what type of cookie she wanted next time and she requested rice flour snowballs. He nodded and after exchanging goodbyes again, he made his way to the front of the school, retrieved his shoes and bag, and headed home.

As he sat on the train and absently watched the passing scenery, his thoughts almost unwillingly headed back to his third and fourth grade years at Rakuzan. Hoshi-chan, who was two younger than he was, had lived next door to him then. Kuroko had always thought of her as his little sister and as both of them were only children, they'd usually been in one another's company. Their parents often teased that they might marry when they got older. They hadn't known what that meant and couldn't be bothered to waste time on the whims of adults, they had games to play and Hoshi had pictures to draw while Kuroko would read in the same room.

When he'd made the basketball team at Rakuzan during third grade, Hoshi had drawn him a picture of a basketball with his face on it and a big star as the background. Her skill was still developing, but more than anything Kuroko treasured the drawing as her expression of support. They had often played basketball with the neighborhood kids and it was something she knew he loved. She'd been so excited for him and her little voice had cheered along with everyone else at the celebration meal.

Hoshi didn't attend Rakuzan for kindergarten because of her poor health, but when she was able to enter during first grade, Kuroko helped her adjust with the knowledge he'd gained during his three years at the school. They remained close and he always dropped her off at her classroom in the morning and picked her up at the end of the day so they could go home together. Kuroko's classmates sometimes teased him about this when they saw him walking down the hall with Hoshi's hand securely enfolded in his as he escorted her, but he only smiled and shook his head, completely unperturbed.

It was during Hoshi's second-grade year, and Kuroko's in fourth-grade, that things changed. Kuroko knew Hoshi had a hard time making friends. She was shy because most of the people in her year had already formed bonds in kindergarten. Like Kuroko, she tended to be very quiet and her peers misread this as coldness, leaving her consistently isolated. In the way of such things, Hoshi came to be the regular victim of bullying. Most of it was minor, but Kuroko worried about her and tried to help as much as he could. Hoshi remained relatively upbeat despite the way she was being treated; she was just that kind of person.

But one day during gym class when the boys and girls were both playing basketball, she found herself cornered by several of her peers out of sight of the teacher. Kuroko still didn't know the full story; he'd just been told enough to have the gist. But from what he knew, when Hoshi had tried to defend herself from their taunts, she'd angered one of the boys who'd then thrown a ball at her with sufficient force to cause her to fall and bash her head, rendering her unconscious. That was the last time she had spoken, she'd been completely mute after waking up in the hospital a few hours later. The doctors still didn't know if it was neurological or psychological, but Hoshi hadn't uttered a sound since then. Instead she'd learned sign language, and Kuroko had followed suit.

After she'd recovered a little from her injury, Hoshi's parents had transferred her to the boarding school she now attended. It was a place for those that had physical and/or mental differences and the school nurtured them by helping the students with skills and confidence in addition to standard curriculum selections. Kuroko had gone to visit so often that he was accepted by all the staff and most of the students considered him to be an older brother. It was this that had spurred his trial-and-error efforts to perfect cookie recipes.

Hoshi had asked him once if he quit the basketball team because of her injury. He'd denied it and he'd meant it. Kuroko had explained that while yes the immediate crisis had sped up the timing of his resignation so he could go see her, Kuroko had not been having fun on the team because of the exclusive focus on victory. It wasn't the same as the games they'd played with the other kids in their neighborhood and he'd already decided to leave the team at the end of the year. However even Hoshi didn't know about Kuroko's second reason for quitting, although Kuroko suspected she had suspicions he wasn't telling her everything, she didn't press him.

Kuroko would be lying, however, if he absolutely denied being affected by Hoshi's circumstances. He'd always had difficulty understanding bullying, but it became a completely non-negotiable line for him after Hoshi's experiences. He'd be the first to admit he rarely won when he tried to intervene during the time after Hoshi was injured, and there were plenty of hospital visits to attest to that in the first few months following Hoshi's trauma. His parents finally had enough and enrolled him in martial arts classes. They realized that more than needing physical skills to back up his ideals, their son needed a way to fight through his helpless anger on Hoshi's behalf. And so, as time passed, Kuroko improved. He'd gained control over his temper and learned how to extricate himself from difficult situations without charging in blindly – sometimes anyway. He'd practiced meditation and focused on observing those around him to gain better understandings of motives and probable reactions. His sensei once confided to Kuroko's parents that while Kuroko was physically one of the least skilled students at the dojo, his mental strength rivaled that of a master.

As Kuroko was thinking, he contemplated bringing Kagami to meet Hoshi next time he visited on a weekend so it wouldn't conflict with his practice. He'd mentioned his new friend to her that afternoon and she'd been excited to hear he shared Kuroko's love of basketball. He smiled, imagining Kagami being chased and pelted with glitter like he had been today and realized he'd need to warn his friend about the mischievous students first. Or maybe not.

The train doors open and closed at the next stop but Kuroko gave only minimal notice to the ebb and flow of the traffic around him as he was wrapped up in his thoughts. His musings were interrupted by a surprised exclamation of, "Kuroko?!" and he looked up to see Midorima staring at him in shock. Kuroko was a bit surprised himself; he wouldn't have expected to see Midorima on this train as he lived in the opposite direction.

"Hello, Midorima-kun, how are you?" he replied. The two of them hadn't really spoken at length before, but they were of course aware of each other's identities.

Midorima was having trouble processing the sight in front of him. Kuroko was sitting, as naturally as you please, with his hair liberally coated in glitter, some of which had also fallen onto his clothes, creating the overall impression of something ethereal that had decided to visit the mundane. Finally he managed to find his voice, and pushing his glasses back up his nose he commented, "I should be asking that of you. Did you have an encounter with a deranged protestor of some kind?"

Kuroko laughed in response to Midorima's question. "I'm sure I look a bit strange. It's just the result of several rounds of glitter tag." Midorima shot him a look that quite eloquently indicated he was not amused by this explanation.

Taking pity on the other teen Kuroko continued, "I was playing a game of tag that included the penalty of a glitter bomb when you were caught."

Midorima narrowed his eyes at this. "It's none of my business, but based on the degree to which you are covered, I can only assume that these were either rather large glitter bombs, or you were particularly inept at the game."

Kuroko shrugged, what could he really say? He nodded toward the kokeshi doll Midorima was holding. "Is that today's lucky item?" Kagami had told him of some of the stranger items the shooter had carried around with him, this one seemed fairly innocuous.

"Yes, it is. Oha Asa predicted good luck for Cancers today so I was content to just bring a small one with me." The shooting guard considered him for a moment before asking what Kuroko's sign was.

"I'm an Aquarius."

Midorima frowned. "You're ranked 4th today but your compatibility with Gemini is poor. Your lucky item is –"

Unfortunately, whatever Kuroko's lucky item was would have to wait to be revealed as the train was stopping and the doors opened, unleashing the mass panic of commuter traffic on and off the car; but as this was a much larger stop than the previous stations on the route, it became clear that the capacity would be strained. Because Kuroko's parents had taught him manners and deep respect for his elders, he immediately hopped up out of his seat as he saw the supply was far under the demand. He moved so that he was still facing Midorima, bracing himself with the handgrip against the press of other travelers.

When the train resumed its travel, Kuroko looked up at his schoolmate, "That reminds me, why are you on this train? This seems awfully far out of your way?"

"Akashi sent me to watch the practice match our next opponent was having. They look like they'll put up a little bit of a fight, but I'm not worried. I've done all I can and I will have my lucky item with me. They should provide Aomine with - "

As Midorima suddenly halted his analysis of the match, Kuroko noticed the green-haired teen seemed very uncomfortable and was avoiding looking at anyone. His grip had conspicuously tightened on the kokeshi doll in his hand so that his knuckles were whiter than the tape on his fingers. Kuroko's eyes went cold as he took in the situation. He quite calmly reached forward, grabbed the wrist belonging to the offending hand that was roaming Midorima's body and applied subtle pressure to a spot he knew would be agonizing. A pained gasp escaped his prey and Kuroko slipped into the marginal space between the two men to whisper, softly and viciously, "You have no right to do that. Don't ever do anything like this again, to anyone, do you understand?" The offender whimpered as Kuroko continued to apply pressure but he managed a weak nod.

Kuroko's voice was low but still reached Midorima as he asked in a flat tone, "Do you want to report him?" The green-haired teen violently shook his head in denial. Kuroko nodded in acknowledgement and with a movement too fast for most to follow, Kuroko turned the pervert toward a seat that a young businessman was occupying and adopting a very concerned expression along with a deferential bow he asked if the businessman would mind terribly giving up his seat for this poor fellow that seemed to be taken ill. Kuroko didn't release the man's wrist until the seat had been vacated and he 'assisted' him with claiming it. After a final warning glance at the person that had groped Midorima, Kuroko slipped back to his spot in front of the basketball player. Midorima was extremely conflicted about what had just transpired and his astonishment showed on his usually ascetic face. He was horribly embarrassed to be rescued by someone a fraction of his height that had glitter in his hair at that, but he was also very grateful for the assistance as he'd been frozen with shock once he'd felt the unwelcome hand on his person. He was further stunned that his impression of Kuroko was being so thoroughly shaken – how did the boy who scurried out of the gym after Murasakibara had revealed his presence have such a ferocious side to him?

A passenger that didn't know the full details, only that Kuroko had been standing next to him and then suddenly had managed to assist someone that didn't look well, leaned in to say, "How did you move around like that when the train is so crowded? It's amazing. That guy is lucky you saw he wasn't feeling well; he might have just collapsed otherwise. What a thoughtful young man you are."

Kuroko glanced at the traveler as he replied, "Yes, it is fortunate I noticed him before the situation worsened. But Oha Asa says I'm ranked 4th today after all, the odds were with me." If this wasn't precisely a full answer to the man's question, he didn't notice it. The other passenger nodded his head and the moment was over.

Kuroko looked back at Midorima, who was now refusing to meet his eyes. Kuroko sighed inwardly; he didn't like seeing this hesitancy in the usually proud male. Kuroko supposed there was nothing for it but to shock him back to normal, "I noticed at practice yesterday, Midorima-kun, that your form seemed slightly off. Maybe Akashi-kun wanted you to watch the practice game for inspiration?"

There was an outraged glare in the green eyes that flew to meet his, "Idiot. I don't know who you were watching but my form was, as always, flawless. I don't leave such things to chance." Even as the words left his mouth the preternaturally accurate shooting guard recognized what Kuroko had done. Midorima's lips twitched upward in acknowledgment of Kuroko's ploy and he gave the other teen a slight nod. The movement was meant to say several things – Midorima was okay, he appreciated Kuroko's help, he was thankful Kuroko wasn't going to bring up what happened, and he damn well knew that his shooting yesterday had been as perfect as it always was thank you very much. Kuroko smiled in response. Much better.

The two conversed about superficial things after that. They didn't know one another well enough to do otherwise, and their mutual awareness of the indignity Midorima had suffered seemed to keep the direction away from anything weighty. While they established enough of a connection in this moment that they were no longer merely schoolmates, neither of them sensed an ability to be completely at ease with the other, either. Upon learning that Kuroko's blood type was A, Midorima had to acknowledge to himself that if nothing else had become clear, there was now ample evidence to consider Kuroko's potential as a force to be reckoned with.

Both Midorima and Kuroko exited at the next stop; the former would need to change trains and Kuroko would walk home from there. As they said goodbye, Midorima recalled that Kuroko's lucky item for the day had been a prism, an object that could bend and separate the colors of light to make rainbows. While he didn't have a crystal to make a prism, Midorima was struck with an unusually fanciful notion that as the glinting rays of the setting sun caught the glitter decorating him, they had turned the other boy, usually so difficult to see, into a living prism. A shadow that became light, if just for a moment. Maybe Akashi had been right to see something worth investigating in Kuroko. For now, he had to let things unfold according to Akashi's plans. But he had to admit, he was no longer quite so satisfied to merely observe the plays of others, this might well be the time to enter the fray himself.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Aomine was bored. Satsuki had left him at the basketball court with the admonition to behave while she ran into the convenience store for a prepared meal after he'd refused her homemade offering, "Dai-chan, if you would just eat the food I made, you wouldn't have to wait." He'd refrained from replying that if he'd eaten what she had made, they would be waiting for an ambulance instead of a simple run into the store. Since Aomine had a healthy dose of self-preservation, he'd just found a spot on the bleachers and waited for her to come back. It seemed she was taking a long time but he supposed he could have gone with her. It didn't really matter; he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere.

There were a few kids playing on the court while he watched. They were obviously inexperienced, their movements showing enthusiasm but not a great deal of coordination or skill. It looked like they were having fun. Even Aomine wasn't so much of a jerk that he was going to usurp the court from them, though he really hated just waiting around watching. It made him a little nostalgic; Aomine had been having an increasingly difficult time remembering what it felt like to just play for the sake of playing. He'd had a little reprieve from his disenchantment after Kagami's arrival at Rakuzan. The redhead was a reckless player who couldn't quite offer an equal challenge at the moment, but it was clear that he would quickly show dramatic improvement under Akashi's exacting training regime.

He was absently spinning a ball on his finger when he caught sight of Satsuki walking back with…was that Kuroko? He did a double take as he took in the shorter male's glittery form. He'd freely admit he didn't know Kuroko that well but he was fairly certain this was unusual even for him.

"Dai-chan, look who I ran into at the store! Kuroko-kun says he just saw Midorin on his way back from the practice game our next opponents were having. Apparently Midorin thinks they might even be able to give you a challenge."

"A challenge? Maybe. But even if they put up a fight, the only one who can beat me, is me."

"Now Dai-chan, you never know what will happen. They're supposed to be really strong. We'll have to wait for a full account from Midorin tomorrow to know more." Satsuki handed him his dinner and Aomine noticed she hadn't bought one for herself. He nodded at the bag, "I'll share if you want."

Satsuki blushed and ducked her head for a second. "Kuroko-kun gave me a popsicle when I got to the store so I'm not hungry right now."

Aomine's eyebrows shot up as he looked at the other male. "Did he?" He was impressed by Kuroko's forwardness; he wouldn't have thought the usually reserved teen would have it in him. Especially when it came to pursuing someone like Satsuki who could be overwhelmingly bubbly, but if he wanted to make a go of it, Aomine wasn't going to stand in his way.

Kuroko's blank eyes met his own. "I was done with it." His tone was so uncommunicative, Aomine couldn't tell if he was joking or if he had literally given Satsuki a partially eaten popsicle. Aomine was willing to concede that it could go either way, given who was speaking, but he didn't think Satsuki would be as willing to walk with him if it were the latter.

Momoi laughed and clarified for Aomine, who looked like Kuroko had been speaking in another language just then, "He won a free popsicle and gave me the stick to redeem it."

"Oi, you really won one of those? That's amazing, Tetsu."

Kuroko nodded in acknowledgment, and then asked "Tetsu?" while looking inquisitively at the other blue-haired teen. Aomine just laughed and answered with, "Well, it suits you." Kuroko had a feeling he wasn't going to get a better reason than that, but it didn't really bother him. He was slowly coming to realize the Generation of Miracles operated as laws unto themselves regarding a person's name and he'd have no energy for anything else if he spent all day correcting them.

Momoi apparently liked the name too, "Yes, you'll be Tetsu-kun now!" Kuroko sighed at this, of course he would.

"So, you got a reason for why you're all shiny, Tetsu?"

He explained that he'd played glitter tag and that the penalty gave the game its name. Really, how many times was he going to go through this today? Both Aomine and Momoi gave him the same look he'd received from Midorima. Apparently Jin-chan's twist to the game didn't appeal to that many people, but no matter.

Aomine gave a low chuckle as he surveyed Kuroko. "Maybe you should consider this a permanent look, Tetsu. You're a hell of a lot easier to see this way."

"I will take it under advisement, Aomine-kun."

Momoi was preparing to say something when the peaceful evening air was broken by a startled cry behind them. The three teens turned and saw that one of the children playing basketball had fallen down and was crying from the small hurt they'd earned for their trouble. Aomine was surprised to see Kuroko go over to the child, kneel down and say something to him. The kid refused to be calmed however, so Kuroko took drastic action. After gaining the little boy's teary-eyed attention, Kuroko performed a small magic trick and presented the boy with a yen coin that he'd apparently found behind the youngster's ear.

"Yosei?" the boy breathed out in amazement.

Aomine smirked. The kid thought Kuroko was a fairy, which was priceless. He couldn't blame the kid for his confusion. You didn't see too many teenagers that looked like Tetsu on a normal day; but it was easy to imagine a kid's interpretation of Kuroko's currently glitter bedecked appearance along with his pale, slight frame, and especially with Kuroko performing a magic trick. He couldn't prevent a snicker from escaping and found himself receiving a glare from Kuroko. Then Aomine saw a mischievous expression cross Tetsu's face and he felt slightly apprehensive in response.

"No, I'm not a fairy. But if you're alright now?" Kuroko waited for the boy to nod, "Then you can see some basketball magic courtesy of Aomine-kun over there. Wouldn't that be fun?"

A chorus of excited agreement was heard from the small gathering and Aomine found himself being nudged over to them by Satsuki as she relieved him of the bag that still held his dinner. He looked uncertain for a moment and Kuroko leaned over to say, "Aomine-kun, surely you're not scared. You can start easy; just remember they're kids, not actual competitors, okay?"

"Shut up, yosei. I know that. And I'm not scared of kids! But don't think I'm not going to get you back for this." Kuroko smiled at the promise and left the court to go sit with Momoi. They watched Aomine's combination of showing off his street ball skills and coaching the kids on less advanced versions of some of them. A slight smile was on Aomine's face.

Momoi's voice was wistful as she commented, "He looks happy. Thank you Tetsu-kun, this is good for him."

Kuroko nodded. "I'm sure you know this, but he's at a tipping point, Momoi-san. He's dangerously close to losing his love of the game entirely. All of them are, in their own way. They're too strong and it's warping them."

"You can tell?" Momoi was surprised. She wouldn't have thought he'd have noticed something like that, although she'd been having similar fears herself.

Kuroko closed his eyes as he considered his reply. It had been a long day, first his confrontation with Kise, then Murasakibara, the activities at the boarding school, followed by Midorima, and now Aomine and even Momoi. He was so tired. It figured that on a day when he'd wanted to renew his connections to a world outside of the Generation of the Miracles that he would engage so many of them. Really, at this juncture he would not be surprised to see Akashi stroll up to join them. But he knew this was an important conversation to have and Momoi was one of the few people he could share this with anyway.

"It's been clear since they came together in middle school that they were dangerous, but it has changed since last year. Everyone knows about them. Rakuzan encourages their strength because victory is good for the school. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, it's just clear their hearts aren't in it anymore. I noticed while watching their practices how their focus feels colder than I expected. The goals they're setting for games are showing less their enjoyment of the sport and more just desperate attempts to keep a group of predators on task. Kagami-kun is not at their level yet, but I see him rising quickly. I don't want any of them to go over the edge completely, but I am especially worried about how they'll influence Kagami-kun. He hasn't picked up on the scoring quotas for what they are yet, and I don't want him to."

Momoi didn't respond and he opened his eyes to look at her, but she was staring in front of them at Aomine, who had a furious look on his face as he'd clearly overheard at least part of what Kuroko had said. Kuroko looked around and saw the kids had left; probably it was past time for them to be home in the first place.

"Tetsu." The name no longer held any trace of affectionate teasing. If anything, it came out like a warning. Aomine looked over at Momoi, "Satsuki, you go on ahead. It appears Tetsu has something he needs to say to me."

Momoi looked over at Kuroko who nodded, "No worries Momoi-san. It'll be fine." Her pink eyes held worry in them despite Kuroko's assurance, but after that, what could she say? "Dai-chan, I'll put your dinner in your refrigerator. You can eat it when you get home." She nodded at the two of them and left, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't uneasy.

Kuroko and Aomine were left alone. The street lamps illuminated them and the murmur of evening neighborhood routines filled the air. There was a tense moment before Aomine exploded, "What is your problem? You don't like the way we play basketball? We're winning, that's the goal of sports. We don't cheat, what's it matter otherwise? Who the hell are you to say anything about it anyway? Do you even play? I know you have some sort of strategic sense of the game, but if you're only a brain and not an athlete then why the hell do you think your opinion should even matter? You think Kagami is so damn special that you don't want us to change him? He'll change himself. He's got the same instinct we do; it's just a matter of time." Kuroko's words had touched on Aomine's inner uncertainty and these questions told Kuroko how close Aomine was to giving up on the sport altogether; he was desperately trying to find a lifeline and Kuroko heard his plea hidden under the anger.

Rather than answer Aomine, Kuroko asked his own question. "Aomine-kun, do you remember the score of your middle school championship game last year?"

The taller teen was shocked by Kuroko's calm, if bizarre, question and answered more out of surprise than anything else, "Of course, 111-11."

Kuroko nodded. "I was there to watch. You were playing my friend's team and I was excited to see the match. It is true you don't cheat, but as shameful as cheating is, it would almost be better if you did. That's something an opposing team can rally against and still find the will to compete, even if they can't win. Each of you is an amazing athlete, I don't think there are many in the world that could deny it, but you didn't approach that competition in the spirit of being athletes. I can't speak for all of you, but I know that for at least some of you, that's not who you are. Something about Rakuzan's policies makes _you_ disappear on the court; you become someone else entirely. Lately, however, that is spilling into your views off the court. I don't like seeing that happen for anyone and I don't want that to happen to Kagami-kun either."

"So because your friend got his feelings hurt you're going all high and mighty on us? Sounds like rather than getting so worked up just because we won, they should be chalked up as poor losers. Are we supposed to hold back? And what makes you think you know us well enough to say any of this crap, Tetsu? If I remember correctly, we just met you a few weeks ago." The disgust in Aomine's voice was more than plain.

Kuroko shook his head impatiently before responding, "No. Losing is a risk during competitions, that's common sense for most athletes. Holding back is insulting them. You are supposed to honor your opponents with your best efforts. But it's different when a team faces the strength of the Generation of Miracles; you aren't even bloodthirsty about it. There's a mechanical precision in how you demoralize and defeat your opponents, yet it is clear there is no real joy in any of you while it happens. You expect to win, so you've become dependent on these other tactics like making the score match to have anything invested in the game. It's heartbreaking. I don't have to know any of you to say that; your expressions said it for me months ago. Aomine-kun, be honest. Which felt better, that win in the championship league…or playing with those kids just now?"

Aomine's lips twisted but he didn't hesitate, "Winning the championship."

Kuroko nodded, "I see. Then I guess I have to ask…" and here he took in a deep breath as if gathering strength, "what is victory for you?"

Aomine wasn't going to pretend there was anything philosophical about victory. It was about as straightforward as anything got. "Victory means we leave the court with more points than our opponents. It means we've proven we're stronger than they are. There's no other way to do it and you're kidding yourself if you really think otherwise. You can't win and also make your opponents feel good, so you go for making absolutely sure you aren't on the losing side."

"It's enough then, to trade high scoring percentages for something you used to love?" Kuroko's question was quiet but Aomine knew it was loaded. He ignored it.

"You didn't answer me earlier. What do you want from us? What the hell is any of this to you, Tetsu? You're not an athlete. Kagami said you encouraged him to try out for the team, why would you when you have such a low opinion of our style of basketball?"

"Kagami-kun would have tried out regardless of my input. He loves basketball; of course he'd want to be on the team. I merely supported my friend, if he found out later that he didn't like your style he would just play street ball, if he started to turn into what the rest of you have, I'd try to stop him. If I failed, well then I'd have to think of something else. There was no reason to discourage him from being there. He reminds me of what all of you were like when you first started playing together. Those games were amazing to see and honestly Aomine-kun, I wanted to play basketball with all of you then. That's the energy and passion that everyone could sense in your playing, but it isn't there anymore. I suppose I hoped if he joined you, it might shake things up, maybe some of you would wake up from this mentality. But that might have been too heavy a burden for him, especially since he wasn't asked about it. As for what it means to me…well, that's not so simple. But I'll tell you this, I have more than just a basketball-brain." With that, Kuroko smoothly stole the ball from Aomine's hands and dribbled toward the hoop. Aomine instinctively reacted and chased after the smaller teen, moving to block his shot. He was stunned that the ball seemed to disappear before landing perfectly in the net.

Their blue eyes met, Aomine's held astonishment, Kuroko's held resolve. "Aomine-kun, I'm not like you or the other prodigies. I couldn't take any of you one on one. My strengths lay elsewhere. Even that shot will probably only work a handful of times against you, this time I had the element of surprise on my side. I want to be clear though, you are not a threat to players like me because you're stronger, but because you've stopped caring. If even the victor takes no joy, what is the point of anyone showing up in the first place? If the game doesn't inspire you to try again, it's not a game anymore Aomine-kun. I don't have the answers yet. But it's something I've been working on since the championship last year. I hope to be ready soon."

"You're crazy, Tetsu. What you're looking for doesn't exist in the real world. And what do you mean players like you? You're not even on the team!"

Kuroko smiled. "No, I'm not. But as I mentioned before, it's something I've been working on. You'll be among the first to know when I'm ready."

"You're a tough little bastard, aren't you? Fine, Tetsu. We'll see what you come up with. In the meantime, though" and here a truly frightening smirk crossed Aomine's face, "don't forget I'm not just waiting patiently."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Aomine-kun."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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Akashi surveyed the other members of the Generation of Miracles as they sat in the club room. He'd called this meeting to discuss the issue of one Kuroko Tetsuya after a fight between Ryota and Atsushi had broken out during today's afternoon practice. Their argument had quickly escalated to include Shintaro and Daiki, leaving the rest of the team staring at four of their star players in shock. The blond had been berating Atsushi for some incident involving Kuroko that had occurred during school yesterday while the snack-loving giant became increasingly defensive of his liking for the reserved teen. Shintaro and Daiki had both been divided in their evaluation of Tetsuya, seemingly equally split between caution and respect. Yet all of them appeared to have had significant encounters with their mysterious classmate that had put them on edge. Somehow when Akashi wasn't looking, the blue haired teenager had managed to cause quite a stir among all of them. After a soft order from their captain to calm down, the other four had set aside the quarrel for the meeting Akashi proposed to take place once practice ended.

"Now that we've all settled down, perhaps it is time we address how in the span of a mere two days, we suddenly seem to have become so overset by this one unassuming person." He considered them for a moment before nodding at their small forward. "Ryota, why don't you start?"

Kise was scowling, an unusual expression for his normally attractive face. "Our gym class was paired with his yesterday for dodgeball. He was on Murasakibaracchi's team. He was…surprisingly good at it. But after it was over he was preaching some nonsense about how I would fail if I couldn't recognize the strength of others all because I got a little excited during the game. I don't know what his problem was! He - "

Murasakibara rolled his eyes and interrupted what was sure to be a lengthy monologue lambasting Kurochin. "He was just mad you kept trying to tag him, Kisechin. I like Kurochin, he's nice. He helped fix my training. And he stopped a ball from hitting me during the game. I told him I thought he and Akachin should be friends because I didn't know too many people that could punch Akachin and get away with it."

The others tensed at Murasakibara's words; they hadn't known Kuroko was responsible for the colorful bruise adorning their captain's cheek. It had turned into a sickly looking rainbow and was all the more grotesque in contrast to Akashi's inscrutable expression. None of them had been brave enough to inquire and they were quite frankly astonished, not only that Murasakibara hadn't been afraid to ask, but that Akashi had revealed the identity of his attacker to be Kuroko!

Akashi's voice was cool and did not invite further comments as he simply stated, "I underestimated him. There's quite a lot of fire behind that façade." His eyes glanced at each of his teammates in turn before continuing, "I think Shintaro should go next."

Midorima stiffened and pushed his glasses up his nose as he considered how best to explain his experience without telling them everything. "I encountered him on the train yesterday on my way home from observing the practice match. There was an…unfortunate incident…and Kuroko managed to subdue a delinquent with little fuss or notice from the other passengers." Akashi's gaze rose to meet his and Midorima flushed slightly at the knowing look in those heterochromatic eyes, but Akashi elected to preserve his vice-captain's privacy and didn't ask for more details.

"Daiki, what about you?"

"Last night, I guess after Tetsu left the train, he ran into Satsuki at the convenience store. He'd won a popsicle and gave it to her. They walked back to the street court where I was waiting for Satsuki. A crying kid thought Tetsu was a fairy and then he tricked me into playing with a group of kids. Then he said a bunch of bullshit about the way we've lost sight of what basketball should be, blah, blah, blah. He did score a basket against me, though. Then something about not having answers but he'd been working on it since the middle school championship game."

Akashi closed his eyes for a moment, "Daiki, I really must commend you on your flawless storytelling abilities. It almost feels like we were there with you." Aomine shrugged, he'd covered the important stuff. Akashi thought about what the power forward said as Atsushi asked about the fairy part. Daiki and Shintaro replied, almost in tandem, "Glitter tag." Shintaro then recounted what Kuroko had explained about the game for everyone's benefit.

"Are you telling me that in the course of a single day, Tetsuya not only accounted well for himself in a dodgeball game against Ryota, he played something ridiculous like glitter tag with persons unknown, subdued an assailant on a train, and STILL managed to score a basket against Daiki? All while charming Satsuki, Atsushi, and Shintaro; chastising Ryota and Daiki, arranging for Daiki to entertain children, and deliver scathing lectures on the nature of our basketball?" Akashi could practically see his teammates each thinking, "Well when you say it all together like that of course it sounds bad."

Akashi could feel a headache coming on. "Let's try this again." He mentally reviewed everyone's account before his eyes wandered back to Daiki. "I'm curious as to his goals; they seem oddly skewed around the events of last year. What does he mean that he's looking for answers and why did he begin such a thing after the middle school championship? Surely he gave some other clue as to the significance of that game?"

Aomine shrugged. "Tetsu's friend was on the team we beat. He didn't like that we made the score all ones. Apparently we would be better off cheating or something." Akashi nodded and filed that away.

"Ryota, is Atsushi correct? Do you think Tetsuya's reprimand to you was inspired by being deliberately targeted during the dodgeball game?"

Kise shuffled guiltily in his chair. "Maybe." Most likely, then.

The redheaded captain continued, "Atsushi, how did he respond to your suggestion of a friendship between us?"

Murasakibara paused from his diligent efforts at unwrapping snacks, "He said you unsettled him. But that he liked me, too." Not surprising on either account.

"Shintaro, is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"He was…unexpectedly protective of someone he didn't have a reason to intervene for." Akashi didn't like the hint of softness that crept into Shintaro's voice there.

Turning back to Daiki, "Did anything else seem relevant?"

"Maybe something about how he doesn't want Kagami to lose his love for the game like we apparently have." Hmm. This one might bear further thought.

Akashi considered his next words carefully, he had been debating when to divulge this information but it seemed the time had come much more quickly than he'd anticipated. "Gentlemen, Tetsuya used to play basketball for Rakuzan." All of them gaped at him, and while he understood their surprise he didn't have time for it. "He was on the team during third and fourth grade; none of us had joined at that time so we didn't cross paths with him then. Something happened in fourth grade, I don't know what, only that he quit the team and has since then kept a low profile. However, somewhere along the way he's apparently begun planning something for us. But in all honesty, I can't fathom either his reason or a potential method with which he could attack us right now."

The captain glanced over at Daiki before continuing. "Thanks to Daiki, we know he has a hang-up about the middle school championship game and that there's some degree of protectiveness toward Taiga. We can tell from the accounts Ryota and Shintaro provided that he has a strong, if somewhat idealistic, sense of right and wrong. I think Atsushi's experience is a little less clear; but at the very least we know he goes for honesty, and perhaps…kindness. And from my own encounter," here his lips quirked, "I can attest that he is quite strong-willed and full of surprises. All of us have witnessed his physical aptitude in one way or another, which is astonishing since he gives off almost no aura of athleticism." Akashi paused before reaching for his bag and withdrawing a neat sheaf of papers.

The redhead divvied the stack up into five piles so that each person had a set. "I had the opportunity to review a rather interesting notebook that Kuroko was keeping during the weeks he studied in the gym. He didn't mean for me to see it, but I did acquire his actual permission just the other day to utilize its contents which is why I am sharing it directly with you now. You each have a copy in front of you, I'd like you to look through it and find a part that mentions your performance. You'll have plenty to choose from so don't be shy."

Kise sat up, "So he WAS spying?!" His tone, filled with incredulity, expressed what they were all thinking in reaction to their captain's words.

"Ryota, please read it first before you say anything else." Akashi's tone expressed that he had little patience for the small forward's impulsiveness.

Everyone took the hint and bent their heads over a packet as they looked for a relevant section. Akashi had already familiarized himself with the contents so he watched their reactions as they read. Several minutes went by as they slowly turned pages, noting not only where they were individually mentioned, but also seeing the analysis of the team as a whole.

Finally Midorima lifted his head to comment, "It's not a dossier like Momoi would compile, yet it is still extremely thorough. He has a good understanding of what we can do, and how we do it, but it isn't ultimately about how to beat us. It's how to make us stronger?"

Kise frowned as he scanned a passage covering his performance, "Kise-kun's sense of the game is comprehensive. His copying ability would be improved if he stopped seeing his teammates as more advanced than he is; a change in training for improved muscle flexibility would give slightly faster jumping responses but more importantly protect his ankle tendons. Generally favors his landing leg by the end of a game or even an especially draining practice…". Kuroko had followed that with a list of treatments for energy, soreness, and pain.

"Is this the reason why you've modified a lot of our drills and regimens, Akashicchi? Because of Kuroko's notebook?" Kise was thinking of Akashi's insistence on increasing his stretching exercises over the past few weeks and how that had seemed to come out of nowhere.

Akashi nodded. "He has a lot of sound ideas that are specifically tailored to improve our strengths. Atsushi was the only one that wanted to know the source earlier; which is why he already knew of Tetsuya's influence, if not the way it came about. In light of what we know about his conflict with our policies, this seems a rather strange item for him to produce, does it not? But as you read it, you can see that while the primary notations concern those weeks he watched us up close, he consistently compares each of us to our performances during middle school games. He is very familiar with Rakuzan basketball, both as a player and observer."

"Tch. Does it matter? What can he do? He can be as self-righteous as he wants, it doesn't change that we're going out there to win. He doesn't have a trump card in this; it's all some kind of bluff. And if anything, with the notebook, we could be even stronger the next time we play." Aomine's voice was smug; he hadn't been worried by Kuroko's vague challenge last night but seeing what was in front of him just increased his already sizeable confidence in their victory.

"I usually hesitate to agree with Aomine, but I don't know that there's really anything he could be doing that would be a cause for concern. Even if he had been spying like Momoi does, that's a natural part of the game. Teams have scouted us before. We would not be brought down by such tactics, especially since he is a student here. I recognize he is more formidable than he appears, but his warning to Aomine truly seems like an empty threat." Midorima's comment relayed that he was definitely taking this seriously, but he was also assured of their strength.

Akashi tapped the papers in front of him thoughtfully. "I think a better question is to consider what his plan was before his friendship with Taiga inadvertently brought our attention toward him. He told Daiki he's been looking for answers since the championship, but I don't think even with his low presence we could have missed him for so many months. Something would have happened just like it did when he was almost hit by that basketball. That means the analysis we see here is probably the extent of any direct observations he made that didn't occur during a game. In other words, these notes are not the focus of his plan; they might well be completely unrelated. I doubt he had any intention, at least at this point, for us to even know about him. So what was he planning before Taiga arrived and has it changed since then?"

They all sat in silence as they tried to fathom Kuroko's strategy. It was difficult because they knew so little about him and though each of them had aggressively competitive drives, this was an unknown game they'd entered into with the mysterious teen.

"What's the timeline for all of this?" Kise's question was calm and Akashi noticed approvingly that he was now far more focused. It seemed Ryota was ready to take this seriously.

"It's been almost a year since the championship game last May. Taiga transferred to Rakuzan in January, he must have made friends with Tetsuya soon afterwards. We held tryouts at the end of that month. Tetsuya was rather dramatically revealed to us when Atsushi picked him up…that was just before March began. He stopped coming to the gym after that. We hadn't had any real contact with him until this week, when I asked him to come to practice. And the next day all of you had such memorable encounters with him, so that here we are, right at the start of April."

Murasakibara propped his head on his hand and looked thoughtful, "So we don't know what Kurochin was doing for about 7 months? That's roughly the period from the championship to the start of the new year."

"We have to assume we don't know what he is _continuing_ to do, Atsushi, but yes, there's a period of time that is even less clear. For now, we can only speculate. We can't ask Taiga for information or to investigate. He doesn't strike me as someone that would be particularly gifted at subterfuge even if we could get him to agree, and he probably isn't that aware of Tetsuya's whereabouts and activities prior to their friendship. He has no idea of Tetsuya's experience or interest in basketball for example." And that was something that still bothered Akashi. There had to be something, some reason, Tetsuya hadn't shared that yet, he just didn't know what it was.

Midorima leaned forward over his copy of the notebook and his eyes kept returning to a particular passage. "What does Kuroko mean by this note that emperors and kings can still fear shadows? It's in the margins next to his thoughts on our practice game against Seiho."

"Well spotted, Shintaro. I assume that Rakuzan is the emperor and Seiho is the king – as one of the three kings of Tokyo. Shadows must be in reference to whatever he's plotting."

Aomine's interest perked at this exchange. "So he's got something big up his sleeve? He's planning to take on more than just us? You have to admire his nerve; he's reaching high on this, whatever it is."

Akashi's breath caught for a moment. "Reaching high…is it possible?" He couldn't believe it, but the more he considered it, the more Akashi became convinced he was right. "It is conceivable Tetsuya's got something arranged for the Inter High tournament, it's the closest competition for when he would be able to demonstrate something to us as well as the 'kings' if we remember the warning Shintaro pointed out."

The silence this time was strained. None of them could believe the sheer audacity it would take for Kuroko to have set his sights on such a target.

"But Kurochin isn't on our team. He won't be playing with us, so he can't do anything, can he?" Murasakibara's question was tentative - it was clear he didn't know what to make of this, but he wasn't alone there.

An incredulous chuckle escaped Akashi. "Seirin. That has to be it." As he continued to laugh softly he could only think "Tetsuya, you've far exceeded my expectations with this stunt."

"Seirin? What are you talking about Akashi?" Aomine's question was impatient and Akashi contemplated a reminder about manners, but let it go for now.

"Seirin High School, it's located in Tokyo meaning we wouldn't play them except for a practice game or until Inter High, if they make it that far. They just formed last year so they're not an official team like we are. Because they're so new they haven't even been credentialed yet, which means they're allowed to have players from other schools as long as it doesn't exceed 20% of their roster. It is considered a welcoming gesture to new schools to allow them to gain some momentum while they establish themselves as a team. It's a provision that is not used very frequently because of travel commitments, but it is possible. They don't even have to get the other school's permission if a player is in good academic standing. Tetsuya wouldn't have to bother with even that much because he's not actually on the team here, he's just a student. Usually recruits are found among especially strong schools that have too much talent to let everyone play. Tetsuya's an unusual case because he isn't compromising the resources of our team, in the eyes of the game officials, he just happens to also go to this school."

Midorima's eyes widened. "Tokyo is over two hours away by bullet train. He couldn't possibly have been training with them."

Akashi shook his head. "Certainly he could if he's determined enough. Kyoto's schedule actually helps him with this since schools in our prefecture have an earlier start time than those in Tokyo do. With an earlier ending time at Rakuzan, it would allow for some room to cover the time for his commute and their practice. This would have been especially true before he delayed his leaving by waiting for Taiga. Perhaps not every day, we know in cases like yesterday for instance he clearly wouldn't have been able to make it given he kept running into all of you, but it is not beyond reason that Tetsuya could make it there for a late afternoon practice. He would catch the evening train to return for school, or maybe he spends the night there and takes the morning train back. I'd have to reevaluate the notebook if this is the case, he may indeed have been plotting something, but it is difficult to determine what since the notes push us to improve rather than strategize our downfall."

"Doesn't he go home with Kagami after our practices though?" This came Kise, who despite himself was sounding impressed by the possibility that Kuroko was an actual threat.

"Yes, but they only said they live near each other, not that they walk home together. I would guess Tetsuya says goodbye to Taiga at their station as if they walked in opposite directions, and just waits for one of the afternoon bullet trains. Let's see…our school day is 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., we usually have practice 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., sometimes a little later. If Tetsuya and Taiga get back to their station sometime before 4 p.m., he could easily be in Tokyo around 6 p.m. I have no idea how long Seirin practices, presumably they would at least work on individual training before Tetsuya arrived to maximize their time, but they could reserve an hour or so after his arrival for something different. He could be back in Kyoto around 10 p.m. give or take. I would wager that prior to his friendship with Taiga, he arrived earlier, so this change must have been approved by their team for some reason."

Murasakibara yawned and stretched a bit before he summed up more or less the group opinion, "It's too bad Kurochin is working so hard when he's going to get crushed. But," and his eyes went cold, "even for Kurochin, we're not going to lose."

They all outwardly agreed with Murasakibara and Akashi dismissed them with a final cautionary warning to keep an eye on their unexpected adversary. But each of them wondered what would drive Kuroko to this essentially suicidal plan. What were they missing?

_~*~*~ Tokyo, that evening~*~*~_

Kuroko ran from the station to make it to the gym as fast as he could. This really was a killer schedule but it was worth it if he could prove what the Generation of Miracles had become was wrong. He squeaked in just at 6:15, one of his better times if he did say so himself. Heads rose in response to his arrival and he was greeted by his teammates. They all gathered around their coach for what had become affectionately known as the Kuroko Catch Up, when they met for news or announcements to be relayed and to prioritize the training time they had together.

Riko smiled at the late arrival, he had improved so much since he had first started this. He was faster and no longer winded when he arrived – it was an unintentional but nonetheless effective element of his unique training method. "Kuroko-kun, glad you could make it today. Any news?"

He nodded. "I showed Aomine-kun my Phantom Shot last night. It worked against him." He explained about his unexpected meeting with the power forward and the rest of the team listened carefully.

"I would have preferred it was kept a secret, but it's not so bad he already knows, right?" Koganei's reaction was mirrored by several other members. "They still don't know you're planning to use it against them in an actual game so it should be fine."

Kuroko considered this, "On the train from school Kagami-kun told me that Akashi-kun was calling a meeting for the Generation of Miracles after practice. Apparently they were arguing about me during training. I think it is fair to assume that even if they don't guess exactly what is going on, there's a good chance they'll have an idea by the end of that conversation. I've had an unexpectedly extensive amount of contact with them over the past few days, so they have more clues in place than before."

They all digested that for a moment before Riko briskly clapped her hands to gain their attention. "It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Let's focus on what we can improve. Kuroko, grab a yellow jersey. We'll work on your misdirection for a while since you're warmed up from your sprint here. Blue jerseys, you know what to do!" She waited for Kuroko to don the mesh identifier and the teams to position themselves before blowing her whistle to start the scrimmage.

As Riko watched the players navigate around one another in an attempt to score, implementing techniques for agility and strength, she was overcome with pride at how far they'd come in such a short time. And a lot of it was due to Kuroko. She still couldn't believe how these events had come together. It had been sheer luck Kuroko watched their game at the championship last year and approached them with his plan to take down the Generation of Miracles. Seirin had been wary of the Rakuzan student, it seemed too good to be true, but after listening to his reasons they'd all understood his goal and why he'd picked them to help with this. He truly admired what they'd accomplished and felt it would make the point all the more strongly given their newcomer status. It had been disconcerting to see the strength of resolve the then-middle schooler had possessed, but he had kept up with the demanding schedule and gradually won the trust and admiration of the team.

Because Kuroko had an extra strain in his schedule with travel, they'd reconfigured their practice time to the evenings and Riko mandated that Kuroko take at least one day off each week. He'd politely, but successfully, argued for the exemption that while he would take at least one day off from the commute, he reserved the right to try to play in a street ball game or do other training on his own. She agreed because she had little choice to do otherwise, but they were both happy with the arrangement. Sometimes he came for a weekend session if he couldn't make it more than once during the week and it would be an informal training period with whoever could attend. She'd honestly been skeptical the team could solidify in this way but if anything, seeing the determination and effort he put forth had propelled all of them to try harder.

As she heard the yell of "Tet-a-Tat, counterattack!" she focused on the always amazingly elegant combination play between Kuroko and Himuro, whose mixture of misdirection and fakes had proved unexpectedly lethal against opponents. Izuki had coined the "Tet-a-Tat" moniker for the pair after being taken by the similarities of their given names as well as their complementary playing styles. It had stuck, but neither Himuro nor Kuroko encouraged it. They'd had an unexpected windfall when Himuro had transferred to Seirin this year, although from what Kuroko had hinted at, they needed to be prepared for the eventual confrontation between Himuro and Kagami.

Still, when Kuroko had first begun training with them, it had been Himuro who picked up on the possibilities of using Kuroko's misdirection for shooting. He'd corrected Kuroko's form and after forcing Kuroko to figure out how his own Mirage Shot worked, Kuroko was able to develop a modification for himself. They worked well together, they were both extremely capable athletes and their tendency toward quick but quiet moves made for a good reinforcement to the aggressive run and gun style of the team.

They all experienced an incredible mixture of optimism and terror as they imagined going up against teams they had read about in _Basketball Monthly_ , especially the notorious Generation of Miracles, but it was the small smile of their phantom player as he watched over their plays and offered support that helped spur them forward. It was coming more quickly than they could believe, but they were all looking forward to the Inter High preliminaries when they could really begin testing their strength. Riko looked at the training notes in her hand and flipped through to the calendar she kept at the ready. It wouldn't be too much longer. She really didn't know what their chances were, it scared her to think of it, but until they were out, she'd keep nurturing their talent as much as she could. And of course, she smiled at the blue haired player that had just stolen a ball from Mitobe, she wasn't going to give up before he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the timeline here…I wrote that the middle school championship game took place in May, so that it would be before the summer break. It suits my plot, but I couldn't remember when it actually happened. Please excuse my reordering of events if it doesn't match up :-). Also, I took liberties with the Japanese school system to make poor Kuroko's schedule work.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

 

Kuroko was not surprised to see a letter in his shoe locker the next morning. He briefly debated reading the note then, but decided against it and instead stowed the missive away for later. He made his way to homeroom, slipped into his seat behind Kagami, and wryly considered the possibility that just maybe he'd received his very first love letter instead of what he suspected was going to be something of a far less pleasant nature.

It wasn't until lunchtime that Kuroko retrieved the note from his bag. He knew chances were slim that Kagami-kun would be distracted from his meal and felt it was a safe time to see what it said. As he scanned the contents written in a precise, but elegant script, Kuroko felt his stomach drop: "Kuroko, I admire your ingenuity. But it is inevitable that Seirin will fall. If you don't lose to any number of more experienced schools in the tournament, you most certainly will not surpass Rakuzan. While I would be surprised to see you withdraw from this contest, I hope you do. I am warning you, Rakuzan's victory is assured. You will come to see the foolishness of your choice if you continue on this path. -Midorima"

Kuroko closed his eyes and briefly scrunched the paper in his fist before releasing it. He'd known it was unlikely this could be kept secret until the tournament. Only the fact that Seirin was in another prefecture and Rakuzan didn't bother with practice games except with those like the Three Kings of Tokyo had saved word from reaching them before now of Kuroko's participation. Well, there was nothing for it. He wasn't backing down now.

The rest of the day passed without incident. Despite this, Kuroko found he was unable to really concentrate on his lessons. He knew he was taking notes, but it felt as if his hand were completely disconnected from his brain. Kuroko honestly could no more have told you what he was writing than he could today's Oha Asa ranking, but if you looked at him you'd have assumed he was the most conscientious of students.

It was Kuroko's turn for cleaning duty that day so after wishing Kagami-kun a good practice with their customary agreement to meet afterwards, he settled into the familiar routine of classroom care with those sharing the assignment. They swept and straightened along with their other responsibilities until the last thing was trash removal. Kuroko took the basket and with a goodbye to his classmates he carried it toward the large receptacle designated for such a purpose. He felt a sense of resignation as he saw the tall purple-haired center waiting there. "Hello Murasakibara-kun, you're not at practice, are you not feeling well?"

The other teen shook his head, "Akachin says we don't have to go if we score in the games and I wanted to talk to you today. Kagami told me you were on cleaning duty so I came to find you." Without further comment he took the trash from Kuroko and emptied it into the bin. As if they'd agreed on it ahead of time, both of them slid to the floor and put their backs to the wall. They didn't rush to speak, content to just sit and gather their thoughts for a while.

Finally, with a sigh, Murasakibara asked his question, "Kurochin, what are you doing?"

Kuroko didn't pretend to misunderstand. His reply was soft but determined, "What I have to do, Murasakibara-kun."

The purple haired teen reached over slowly so Kuroko could see what he was doing and lifted the other's hand, moving it to show the difference in scale between them. "Kurochin, I don't want you to get hurt, but I will crush you if you play against us. That is what _I_ have to do." Murasakibara's hand closed slightly around Kuroko's at this last, not enough for real pressure to be exerted, but the implied threat was clear to them both.

Kuroko slipped his hand out of Murasakibara's grasp before answering, "I have no intention of being crushed Murasakibara-kun. I am not that weak, and neither is Seirin."

It could have been a tense moment with no foreseeable ending, if it were not for the hungry rumble that emanated from Murasakibara's stomach right then. Kuroko couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face and after a moment Murasakibara chuckled, giving in to the absurdity of the situation.

"Alright Murasakibara-kun, wait here for a second. I've got some cookies you can have." Kuroko collected the trash can and walked quickly back to his classroom to retrieve a container that held leftover cookies from the batch he'd made to take to Hoshi's school. He'd planned to eat them as a pick-me-up after that evening's practice while he waited for the train, but he determined this was the greater need.

As he entered the classroom, Kuroko surveyed the blonde waiting for him with a certain degree of fatalism. He'd already been warned off twice today, why not go for another? Kise was propped against the teacher's desk, looking as gracefully assured as you would expect from a model and athlete.

"Good afternoon Kise-kun. Practice must be quite boring without either you or Murasakibara-kun in attendance today." He replaced the trash can and moved toward his bag to get the promised cookies.

Kise's lips twisted, "I heard Murasakibaracchi ask Kagamicchi about where you were so I followed. Midorimacchi and Akashicchi are there, but Aominecchi didn't go either. Your friend's there, but you knew that. They'll be fine for a day."

Kuroko nodded and then just stared at Kise, waiting for him to say whatever he'd come to say. Kise gave a small laugh but there was little humor in it, "Most people would be uncomfortable to walk in and see someone waiting for them. You're definitely not normal." His golden eyes tilted up to look at the ceiling for a moment before meeting Kuroko's again. "Why did you make that notebook? If you are planning to take us on, it seems really stupid to draw up a plan that makes your opponents stronger."

Blue eyes met amber and Kuroko's lips tightened for a moment before he answered. "Kise-kun, did Akashi-kun tell you I used to play basketball for Rakuzan?" The blonde nodded so Kuroko continued, "When I stopped playing for the school, it wasn't because I hated the sport. I still kept up with it as a spectator and playing in the occasional neighborhood game. Once the five of you began playing in middle school it was amazing to watch, I'd never seen anything like it. Before I was ever intending to be your adversary, I was a true admirer of what the Generation of Miracles was capable of doing. Those notes are more a legacy of what I saw in your potential then, but I also didn't intend for any of you to see them. It was an accident that Akashi-kun got my notebook, however in the end; I will feel it is a true measure of our strength if we can match you at your best."

"Your strength? What strength is there to fear from a school that had to resort to importing someone that dropped off a team in fourth grade for reinforcements?"

A whimsical smile crossed Kuroko's face. "Kise-kun, strength shouldn't be feared. It's something you can aspire to improve against, to maybe eventually surpass it with your own, but the strong don't use that talent for intimidation. You will see Seirin's strength, but it is of a different type than yours."

"You've got a lecture for everything, don't you?"

"You bring it out in me."

An unwilling snort escaped Kise at this. "You're a brat, you know that, right?"

Kuroko didn't reply; he knew it wasn't a real question. He was a bit taken aback by the next one, however, which most certainly was, "Kuroko, what are you going to do when Kagamicchi finds out? We were told not to tell him, Akashicchi's orders, but you seem to be betting an awful lot on this. I can't imagine he's going to take it well when he finally sees you in a game. Your team is too new, are you really willing to risk both defeat and your friendship on this gamble? It doesn't seem worth it."

This was a question Kuroko didn't really want to answer. He gently spun the cookie container in his hands while he thought about it. "In a way, Kise-kun, it has to be worth it. I trust that Kagami-kun will eventually understand why I didn't tell him sooner. But the five of you," here he laughed self-consciously, "it's a bit like trying to rehabilitate a first love. It's difficult to let it go without trying everything in your power to make it work. So in that sense, it isn't a risk so much as a necessary measure."

Kise had anticipated many possible responses to his question, he'd already parsed out attacks to throw Kuroko off track, but that answer wasn't one he'd considered. He didn't know that he had anything in his life that would put him up to either something like Kuroko's plan or that type of feeling in the first place. It was a sobering thought, and Kise was unhappy to realize that Kuroko kept managing to do this to him.

"Kurochin, where'd you go? Oh, Kisechin. You held up Kurochin." Murasakibara had apparently been compelled by the emergency of snack-deprivation to seek out Kuroko.

"Sorry Murasakibara-kun, here you go." Kuroko walked over and handed him the cookies. Murasakibara wasted no time unsealing the box and extracting one before promptly popping it into his mouth.

"Thanks, Kurochin, they're good."

Kise left his spot by the front of the room and wandered over to the pair. Kuroko looked back at him, "Do you want a cookie, Kise-kun?" The blonde found himself nodding, although he really didn't care about the cookie even the slightest little bit. Kuroko reached up and snagged one from the box before turning back to hand it to Kise. The small forward felt an overwhelming urge to throw this unreadable person off guard for once and he gave in to the bit of mischief that currently possessed him to bend forward and grab it with his teeth. He succeeded in provoking Kuroko, but not quite in the way he expected.

"Kise-kun. Remember when I said that strength is not something to be feared? I may have spoken too soon. Perhaps you would like me to demonstrate?"

The blonde almost choked at that but managed to keep it together long enough to swallow without further incident. He glanced over at Kuroko, who stood with another cookie in his hand looking about as threatening as a snowball in the desert, but Kise was mindful of the need to not underestimate him anymore than he already had. "I'm sorry Kuroko. I shouldn't have done that. Thank you for sharing with me."

Kuroko nodded to indicate his acceptance of Kise's apology. Murasakibara ruffled his hair from behind, "Kurochin's shy. You shouldn't tease him like that, Kisechin."

Murasakibara couldn't see Kuroko's eye roll, but Kise did, and he laughed a little at the situation. How did members of two rival teams end up sharing cookies in a classroom like this? If Kise was honest with himself, he knew it was because of who Kuroko was. He didn't know exactly how Kuroko managed to pull off these stunts, but somehow he did. That didn't mean Kise wasn't going to go after him with everything he had, but the blonde was getting curious to see this alleged strength that Seirin possessed. Something about them had impressed the male in front of him enough to devise a rather sneaky attack in an attempt to take on a group he'd readily admitted he admired. Well, time would tell, but as Kise watched the stoic teen reply to something Muraksaibara said, all he could think about was his chance to pay Kuroko pack for his lecture after the dodgeball game was coming soon and he couldn't wait.

_-A short time later, on the way to Tokyo-_

As Kuroko settled into his seat on the train, he debated whether he wanted to nap or continue working on some of his homework. It might be better to knock some of his assignments out since he'd lost a little of his study time during his encounter with Murasakibara and Kise; he didn't know if he'd have the energy after one of Riko's practices. Nodding to himself he got out his materials and pulled down the tray that was set in the seat in front of him to work. It seemed only moments later when, with some surprise, Kuroko heard the announcement for his stop; he didn't usually manage to work straight through the commute. But at least it would mean he could sleep without guilt on the way back.

The practice was just as demanding as he'd expected. Riko had wanted them to focus on stamina for today's session since they didn't have a deep bench to fall back on like more established schools. All the strategies and special techniques in the world wouldn't help them if they were too tired to implement any of it, but even knowing this, it still made for an agonizing practice. If one didn't know they were all there willingly, it would have looked like they were being tortured by hell's most cheerful drill sergeant.

At the end Kuroko just barely managed to make it to the bench before collapsing. Hyuga slapped him on the back in acknowledgment of his efforts before tossing a towel at him and asking, "You looked like you were thinking too hard today. What's up?"

"Nothing in particular. It's just been a long week."

The captain examined the younger player carefully, "Kuroko, you can talk to us if something's bothering you. If it is just being tired, that's understandable, but we're not only your teammates, we're your friends."

Kuroko nodded, "I know, and thank you for your concern. I think it just takes more energy than I expected to even be around them. It's making me consider what more I can do to be prepared for competition."

Hyuga smiled, "Good. That's fine then. We're all thinking that."

The team stayed there for a while, casually conversing and laughing with one another. Kuroko realized Hyuga's words were true, and this feeling was another part of what he wanted the Generation of Miracles to recapture. The Seirin players eventually drifted off to go their separate ways, but Kuroko took advantage of this time to go shower before he headed back to the train station.

The cabin attendant nodded informally at him as he made his way to a free window seat; he usually managed to catch the same train each time which had made him familiar with a lot of the staff. He inwardly grimaced as his muscles protested being scrunched into the seat- he might need to readjust his own training and supplement schedule to account for increased soreness. He was idly massaging his shoulder while staring without focus at the night scenery flashing by when he heard it, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, I had rather guessed you were doing this but seeing it in person is something else entirely."

Kuroko turned his head to see Akashi standing in the aisle. The redhead gestured at the empty seat beside Kuroko, "May I?" Kuroko nodded and Akashi folded himself into the seat with far more grace than Kuroko had managed.

"Hello Akashi-kun."

He arched an eyebrow at Kuroko. "You don't seem terribly surprised to see me here, Tetsuya."

"Honestly I'm more astounded Aomine-kun isn't with you. I've heard from everyone else today."

"Yes, you have rather taken over our attention this week, a development none of us anticipated I'm sure."

"No. It was unexpected for me, too."

They lapsed into silence for a while before Kuroko asked, "Kise-kun said you've prevented anyone from saying anything to Kagami-kun. Why did you do that?"

Akashi waved his hand dismissively, "I haven't promised not to tell him about it eventually. I'm just weighing when it would be most strategically effective for him to know. You may decide to break your silence on it first, but I think we share the concern of what his reaction might mean for our respective agendas. I can control the information from my side; I can't do anything about your schedule. But for now it isn't a risk I think either of us is interested in taking. And besides, even if neither of us warns him about it, the Inter High tournament itself would easily take care of the problem for us."

"Yes, you're right."

"Of course I am; which is why I will win this game, Tetsuya."

Kuroko just smiled and leaned his head back. It was interesting, really, how even though the person sitting next to him was his eventual opponent, this situation felt surprisingly normal. Before he knew it, the gentle motion of the train combined with the demands of recent events had stolen consciousness from him and Kuroko was asleep next to the captain of the Generation of Miracles.

Akashi looked at Tetsuya and noted he'd fallen asleep with a half-smile still in place. He considered what he'd seen today. After Rakuzan's practice ended, Akashi had arrived at the station ahead of his target who'd been waiting for his friend and simply delayed taking his own seat until his target had seated himself. He'd had a diagonal view of the other teen and watched as he'd plugged away at his homework. It explained his grades at least for this year; it was true he was putting in effort, but the setting was not ideal. Akashi was still unwilling to let go of his desire to find out why Kuroko hid so much of himself – it was becoming an increasingly compelling mystery for him. At the Tokyo station he'd seen Kuroko quickly gather up his things and sprint toward Seirin's gym. Akashi had followed at a more leisurely pace, he knew where the school was and it served his purpose to arrive after his opponent would be in the groove of his practice. It had been easy enough to find a spot that afforded him a view of the practice without drawing attention to himself. The fact that Seirin's coach was also a high school student had thrown him at first, but he acknowledged she was talented despite her relative inexperience. He had been impressed by her strength of will and how there was no quarter asked or given from someone that could be a peer.

While their practice today had not included a scrimmage and instead focused on drills for improving overall fundamentals as well as agility and strength, it was Akashi's first time truly seeing Tetsuya in this type of setting. He'd seen hints of it before, the unbridled determination that filled the smaller teen wasn't all bluff by any means, but he possessed a certain fluid athleticism that suggested familiarity with his limits and the understanding of how to extend them. The redhead had watched Tetsuya push through the entire session; it was far from easy for him but you wouldn't have known that if you didn't know how to read his expression. Akashi was still learning the ever so slight differences that showed up to indicate Kuroko's thoughts, but he had enough of a grasp of it for this. Riko had made the team work hard; she had to if they had any serious hope of making it past the first round of the tournament. But even so, Akashi had noted the flinch on Kuroko's face when the captain had good-naturedly slapped his back. Undoubtedly he had refused to slow down during the last sets and had already been feeling the consequences.

It made him wonder, how someone that was so exceptionally familiar with the abilities of the Generation of Miracles, and presumably knew his own limits, could really entertain any possibility of surpassing Rakuzan.

"Because it _is_ a possibility, Akashi-kun. The five of you are strong, but you're not invincible." The sleepy murmur warned Akashi he had said that last part aloud.

He shot a glare over at the other teen and was about to answer, but was promptly caught up in horrified fascination at the atrocious bedhead Kuroko possessed. "Tetsuya, it's barely been ten minutes and you hardly moved, how on earth did you manage to do that to your hair?"

Kuroko reached up and made a halfhearted effort to smooth his unruly hair into some semblance of order. "It's a gift."

"You're being ridiculous. Get your comb and fix it properly."

Blue eyes, still drowsy from the brief nap, met his curiously. Rather than comment, Kuroko simply pulled his bag out from under the seat in front of him, extracted his comb and went to work. Akashi couldn't explain it, but he felt his composure restored once the blue hair was returned to its normal arrangement. Before Kuroko replaced his bag, he took out a small jar and tossed the container to Akashi, who naturally caught it quite easily and looked at the other teen curiously.

"It's good for bruises and muscle aches. It'll help with your cheek." Kuroko averted his eyes for a moment. "I am sorry I punched you the other day, I should have had better control."

Akashi's eyes flashed for a moment at the memory of that encounter before he nodded and opened the jar. A pleasing whiff of mint and other herbal aromatics rose in the air. He took a small amount of the ointment and applied it to his cheek, feeling a warmth radiate from where it made contact with his skin. He looked questioningly at the other teen, "You didn't use this yourself? After that practice?" Akashi was sitting close enough to notice Kuroko had only a mild, clean scent, the result of his shower after practice.

Kuroko shook his head, "Not until I get home. It's potent if you use a lot of it and I don't want to disturb the other passengers."

The redhead closed his eyes for a moment in exasperation. "Tetsuya, you're an idiot." But knowing he couldn't press the issue he simply returned the jar to its owner. Kuroko tucked it into a pocket and replaced his bag under the seat; as he straightened he did a small stretch, clearly using the opportunity to work out a kink in his muscles. "Definitely an idiot."

"Not so much of one that you're going to throw out the tips from my notebook, though, are you?"

"Obviously I wouldn't do that; I am not an idiot either." There was an unusual trace of humor in Akashi's voice and Kuroko smiled in response.

"That reminds me, Tetsuya. You didn't say much about either Shogo or Taiga in your notebook. Surely you don't think they've reached their full potential?"

Kuroko didn't answer immediately. Akashi looked over at him and was surprised to see the frown the other teen displayed so prominently. He wondered why the question had caused such a reaction.

"No. They haven't. But Haizaki-kun is…different. He's starting to steal the abilities of his teammates, not just those of his opponents. Kise-kun might be immature but he wouldn't sabotage his own team like that. Haizaki-kun can improve, but I suppose that even in the confines of a notebook I didn't think any of you would see, I wasn't going to be the one to help him."

Akashi considered Kuroko's words. "His behavior has been getting increasingly out of control lately, but he has contributed to our victories."

"Yes, he has. But he's also cost you additional effort. That second string match last month was a lot closer than it should have been just because he stole moves from his teammates and they had a difficult time with both offense and defense as a result."

"I didn't know. None of the players mentioned he'd done that."

"How could they, Akashi-kun? I'm not blaming you, you can't be everywhere, but they knew he'd been sent there to ensure the win. How could they complain about Haizaki-kun when it is a technical endorsement from both the captain and coach for him to be there in the first place?"

Akashi nodded in acknowledgement. "It's a problem. I will think about how to handle it. But what about Taiga? He can't be guilty of the same offense."

Kuroko shook his head. "No, Kagami-kun wouldn't have done something like that. I have some ideas, but so little of his play is done by strategy that it is difficult to have concrete ideas for his improvement."

A small chuckle escaped Akashi. "Tetsuya, if you think I believe that, you're severely underestimating my respect for your deviousness. I have no doubt but that you have plans for him; you're just waiting for the right moment."

"What did you think of Seirin?" Kuroko's change of subject was not entirely unexpected.

"I don't deny your team has talent, and certainly all of you showed commitment, however the lack of experience is obvious. In a few years they might be interesting, but a team of first and second years, with a student coach…you chose your weapons poorly for this battle, Tetsuya."

Kuroko smiled at Akashi's dispassionate assessment. "Akashi-kun, you're not wrong that Seirin has room to grow, but I don't think you quite understand that teammates aren't weapons."

Akashi looked at Kuroko, stunned. How did he keep coming up with this stuff? Tetsuya was far from stupid but he displayed an idiotic naiveté about their upcoming contest. Akashi thought about that for a moment and then he groaned his frustration. "I've just had the horrible realization that even when we beat you, you're not going to admit you're wrong, are you?"

Kuroko shook his head. "It's not over just from one loss, Akashi-kun. We'll play again and we'll be stronger. However I'm glad to hear you've promoted us to being able to meet you in the tournament."

Suddenly Akashi's eyes took on a calculating gleam and his voice went soft, "Unfortunately, Tetsuya, you don't have that long to beat us. Seirin will receive their credentials next year; you won't be able to play with them in a rematch."

Kuroko's answer was just as low, "I know, and that's the reason you should understand why I'm so determined, Akashi-kun. It's not just my chance to prove something to each of you, but to play on this team. I have everything to fight for, and believe me, I am no more ready to concede defeat than you are."

"It seems we will be at an impasse then, Tetsuya. If neither of us will admit to loss, even with a score that technically awards victory, at what point will we consider this settled?"

Kuroko tilted his head to the side for a moment as he contemplated Akashi's question. It was a fair one, but he was not entirely sure how to communicate his goal. Finally he answered, "Akashi-kun, Seirin's victory will ultimately be yours as well. It probably won't feel that way immediately, but if it turns out the way I hope it will, you won't doubt what victory actually entails."

Akashi couldn't take it anymore. Tetsuya was recklessly challenging every competitive instinct Akashi possessed with his seemingly limitless trust in his impossible victory. "You are…beyond my understanding Tetsuya. Victory comes from power. I have it, and the others have it, even our reserves on the bench have it. You have the drive, but listen to me on this, it's not enough. I know you're working hard but it won't be enough to win this ludicrous crusade you've set out on. "

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you? It costs you nothing if I fail. So why are all of you so set on trying to stop me, if you're that confident I don't pose a threat?"

Something broke in Akashi then. Every bit of the distraction and fascination he'd felt in response to Kuroko over the past few months rushed through him and he was determined to get the other to admit that at least on this level, there was definitely something to worry about. He leaned over and raised the armrest between them, smoothly advancing across the narrow space and pushing Kuroko back against the window. His face hovered just above Kuroko's, who watched him with a steadfast expression. "You have no idea, do you? You are somehow drawing all of us in, darting into our lives and throwing these maddening little motivational quotes around like candy for us to consume, but at the same time you challenge us and you keep looking at us with those eyes that ask us to change. We don't want to, Tetsuya. Our methods are enough for us. You're disrupting everything, and despite that, I don't want to see you defeated. So how are you doing this? Why are you doing this?"

Kuroko held very still as he absorbed Akashi's words. He looked up into the face above him and after some inner turmoil of his own, he did something quite unexpected. Kuroko reached up, tentatively and slowly, to lightly trace a finger along the skin just under the bruise he had caused. It was an apology and a promise, one Akashi understood as clearly as if he had spoke Then Kuroko carefully pushed Akashi away from him and with a sigh he offered a very soft reply, "I don't know about the others. But I understand at least some of what you're feeling. We're actually fairly similar, Akashi-kun. Our talents have taken different forms, yet I think we sense that connection in one another. I promise I am not doing this just to cause trouble. I - "

The announcement for Kuroko's stop broke the moment for them and Kuroko didn't finish whatever he'd been about to say. They didn't speak as they gathered their respective belongings and moved off the train. Kuroko started to walk away, but with a last look back said, "Akashi-kun, have Aomine-kun work on lower back flexibility. He's been recklessly pushing himself with his Formless Shots out of boredom and those acrobatics will catch up to him if you don't correct for it."

With that, Kuroko disappeared into the crowd and left Akashi feeling more adrift than he could remember since his mother had died. It would not have comforted him to know that the one that so consumed his thoughts at the moment was similarly afflicted. Akashi knew only this; he could no longer afford this strange indulgence toward Tetsuya. He knew neither of them would accept a win caused by unwillingness to face the other with everything they had. He had to separate his curiosity about the other teen from his pursuit of victory and beginning tomorrow, he would rein in these wayward thoughts. He was Akashi Seijuro, and he had just as much on the line as his rival. He would not lose. And whatever the fallout, he'd be ready.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

 

After he returned home and finished his homework, Kuroko flipped through the notebook that had caused such trouble for him. He stopped each time he came to a passage involving a certain redheaded captain. The notes he'd recorded for Akashi hadn't really been that different from the others, except he had kept track of the number of times Akashi praised his teammates, smiled, or otherwise resembled the warmer person he'd first found so intriguing during middle school. He'd had no worries that Akashi would ask about these random marks because there was only one, easily excused as a doodle or accidental slip of the pen. Kuroko rubbed his eyes tiredly after a moment. Just once, there'd been one rare instance during the Seiho practice game when Akashi had smiled at Kise's antics while the blonde was trying to evade a particularly challenging player named Tsugawa before reminding Kise he was under his quota for the game. He grimaced as his words to Kise-kun from that afternoon kept running through his mind, rehabilitating a first love, indeed. It had been awful last year when, one by one, each of them had stopped smiling while they played. Then the coldness appeared in their eyes along with the unwillingness to consider even one another as equals, and it had only gotten worse. With each successive game that he'd attended, Kuroko had felt the disappointed ache in his chest grow stronger. It became increasingly difficult to reconcile the detached scoring machines with the five prodigies that had so captured his imagination.

He'd been particularly struck by the change in Akashi, whose previous belief in his teammates had allowed them to perform at even higher levels. His Perfect Passes had created an unstoppable rhythm for the team and their assurance in each other's strength had pushed them into the title matches over and over again. Once each of them turned inwards, however, Akashi's skills had altered, too. He still had tremendous leadership over the team and was a successful strategist, but the change in the dynamics had seemed most noticeable in that he no longer supported them as a group, rather each individual became a separate tool to use as needed. Akashi had always seemed reserved but in basketball at least, there'd been a sense that you could see a hint of something underneath that. Kuroko remembered clearly the first game he'd seen in middle school after Akashi's eyes had changed – not only were his irises suddenly differently colors, but neither of them exuded a shred of warmth. Instead they had calmly calculated what was needed to win and executed that plan with the precision of a military strike. In a way, it had been beautifully done. If nothing else it was an elegant massacre, but Kuroko recalled the horror with which he'd watched each of the five players seem so cruelly dispassionate, even bored, by their overwhelming victory.

The championship game last year had broken his heart. Kuroko knew Ogiwara's team was strong; they'd have to be to reach the final round of the tournament. He'd expected to see the Generation of Miracles take the game seriously, but instead, he'd been devastated to see the insolence of the last play when Murasakibara scored on his own basket to make the score match. His friend's team had been crushed long before that moment of the game, but seeing the light go out of Ogiwara as he struggled, then failed, to keep his composure made Kuroko finally realize that Rakuzan was no longer truly playing basketball.

Kuroko had left the Rakuzan game and mindlessly wandered the stadium. He hadn't paid attention to his destination and had eventually found himself watching Seirin's game. The high school team was new, Kuroko heard people talking about how this was their first year, but they had displayed all of the fire and teamwork that Kuroko knew the Generation of Miracles needed. As he watched them play together, he'd begun to draw up the faintest threads of a plan. It was possible to show the Generation of Miracles, to show everyone, that basketball was about what Seirin had.

And now that Kuroko had seen the shy gentleness of the eternally hungry Murasakibara, the awkward mentoring Aomine had provided the kids on the street court, Midorima's misplaced effort to warn him, Kise's surprising display of concern regarding his and Kagami's friendship, and most particularly the subtle clues of something beyond his public face that Akashi had shown him, Kuroko knew he had to bring back that true sense of playing for all of them. It just wasn't possible that the people he'd seen a hint of off the court to be beyond redemption on the court. They had lost much of their love for the game, but it wasn't over yet.

As he finally drifted off to sleep, Kuroko knew he had to move forward. He was going to have to tell Kagami-kun about both his concerns and his plan. Kuroko didn't want him to find out from someone else and he definitely didn't want the tournament to be the moment of truth. Akashi-kun had been right that it was a risk but it was no longer one he could avoid taking. While Kuroko knew it was the right decision, his dreams were troubled and he slept fitfully.

The results of his restless night were quite evident the next morning as Kagami surveyed his friend. "You look like shit today, Kuroko."

"Thank you Kagami-kun, I appreciate your candor."

"No, seriously, are you okay? Maybe you should go see the nurse when we get to school. Or just go home now. I've never seen you look like this before."

"I didn't sleep well, that's all."

Kagami hesitated; it seemed clear that a missed night's sleep wasn't the only problem, but he also knew Kuroko was a fairly private person and he didn't want to pry. "If you're sure that's all it is, maybe you shouldn't stay late today, Kuroko. It looks like you could use the rest."

"It's nothing to worry about, Kagami-kun. I'll be fine. However, I did want to ask if you have time to go to Maji Burger after practice?"

Kagami looked over at his friend. While Kuroko's voice didn't usually give anything away, his tone seemed particularly flat today. "Sure. I'll be hungry anyway so that sounds like a good plan."

Kuroko nodded in acknowledgement and they proceeded into school without speaking again. They went through their morning routine of changing shoes and heading to their classroom, each caught up in worry about the other.

With a look of resignation at the player seated in front of him, Kuroko pulled out his cellphone and quickly sent three messages using the taller male's body as a screen to stay hidden from their teacher. First he told Riko he wouldn't be able to make it today because he was going to tell Kagami-kun the truth and to please let the team know he'd have a report at the next practice. His phone almost immediately lit up with her reply, "Kuroko-kun, are you sure? I know we all agreed to let you do it when you felt ready, but you don't get to redo this. Just make sure it is the right time."

His reply, "It's not the right time at all, but I don't think I can wait any longer" was returned with a note that acknowledged it was a difficult situation, wished him good luck, and ended with an order to let her know if he needed anything.

The next message he sent was to Himuro-san and his training partner's answer didn't come right away. When Kuroko was able to check his phone during a break, he was unsurprised to see "I look forward to hearing about it. Tell Taiga hello from me."

The last message he sent advising of his plans wasn't returned until Kuroko was packing up to head to his turn to staff the library. "Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong. He'll understand eventually, one way or another." Kuroko hoped that was true. He really did.

_-During practice that afternoon, Rakuzan's gymnasium-_

Akashi watched the team practice with an unreadable expression, but he was not pleased with what he saw. Except for Midorima, who would endlessly practice his shots without prompting, it seemed his fellow starters had gotten a bit too complacent. He had found Daiki asleep on the roof earlier in the afternoon and ordered him to attend today's session. The power forward had shown up, fifteen minutes late, but he hadn't completely disobeyed. Ryota was going through the drills but it was clear he was thinking about something else. Atsushi was standing over to the side eating something rather than working in his drill group. Was his team seriously showing less effort than the Seirin upstarts Tetsuya was backing? No wonder he was holding out hope of winning against them. This was completely unacceptable.

Akashi turned his attention to the other members of Rakuzan's team. Taiga was attempting to go one on one with Daiki but the blue-haired power forward was moving sluggishly; it was clear he was protesting being forced to attend and Taiga didn't seem to know what to make of this unusual situation. Akashi watched as Shogo stole a move from a second stringer he was practicing with and the slump in the lower-ranked player's shoulders told Akashi that Tetsuya had been right and this was not the first time such a thing had happened. Somehow his team had gotten out of order. He would no longer tolerate such sloppiness from any of them.

"Atsushi, Daiki, Ryota, surely if the three of you can afford to both a skip practice and then be content to show such subpar effort when you do grace us with your presence, you should be able to show me it is worth allowing you that freedom." Akashi's voice was lethally polite but every single member of the team that was present took notice of his displeasure and felt chills at these words.

The three players that had suddenly found themselves in trouble looked at their captain with puzzlement on their faces. Akashi allowed them to skip as long as they continued to score in games; they hadn't failed to do that, so what had brought this on?

"Let's test the wisdom of the policy, right now. We'll have a small game, the first team to reach 20 points wins. The three of you, versus me and, let's see…" Akashi lazily looked around the gym before settling on two members of the third string squad who appeared to be absolutely terrified they were in his line of vision at that moment. "You two, please join me." The three first string starters looked uneasy, they were clearly better than the third stringers, so what did Akashi mean to prove with this contest?

All the other players scrambled off the court to give them room. At the starting signal, Murasakibara got the ball but before he had managed to do more than register it in his hands, Akashi had stolen it from him and easily maneuvered around both Kise and Aomine before making a textbook three pointer. Everyone watching was holding their breath; this was clearly not a friendly match. Midorima frowned as he observed from the sidelines. Akashi was always exacting, but this match seemed particularly pointed and he didn't know the message their captain was trying to convey.

The remaining points went quickly. The third string players were almost too afraid to move but when Akashi twice sent them a ball with a look that dared them to miss, they of course did not, and managed to score two points each as Akashi ankle-broke Ryota and Atsushi, then used his Emperor Eye to send the ball around Daiki's charge to assist with their shots. It was an attack pattern they all knew, but it had never been deployed against them like this and certainly not with such ruthless precision. His fellow Generation of Miracles members, for the first time since they had all been playing together, not only faced defeat, but they felt real fear of their leader.

It was over in minutes with an utterly devastating score of 21-0. Akashi had taken most of the points himself and he'd almost idly prevented scoring opportunities by his fellow starters. His face revealed nothing and he had barely broken a sweat by the end despite his dominating coverage of both offense and defense. Everyone was thunderstruck as Akashi began to speak, his voice clearly laden with disapproval. "If such a poor result is possible, I have been too lenient. I accept responsibility for my errors as your captain and as such, we will all work harder to prevent future mistakes. There will be no more absences permitted without a dire emergency. There will be no more slacking off. We are here for only one reason, victory, and if you cannot deliver that then there will be consequences. I trust I do not need to elaborate."

Akashi turned toward the third string players he had used for the lesson; they had been trying to subtly ease away from the captain toward the safety of the bleachers. "Thank you for your assistance today. It is striking indeed I should be able to rely more on two players that are unfamiliar to me, than my regular lineup." Here he looked at the three members of the Generation of Miracles who all had stunned expressions on their faces, "As for you three, consider today a warning. Until you can surpass me, you cannot disobey me."

After that they began an intense series of drills and training sessions; the pace was accelerated from even their usual rates. Everyone noticed the change. Akashi had always presided over the practices with the highest level of expectations, but today he seemed to have lost any sense of forgiveness for even the smallest of errors. If they hadn't seen him working just as hard as he was pushing them, it might have been entirely demoralizing. A few players did give serious thought to resigning, but for the most part the team, from third string up to first, felt a renewed sense of purpose. They didn't know why Akashi had suddenly found them lacking, but they didn't want to disappoint him again.

At the end of practice, Akashi asked Haizaki to stay behind. The older teen looked down at Akashi, meeting his eyes arrogantly as he was secure in his worth to the team. Akashi's own eyes were calm but distant. He wasted no time getting straight to the point.

"Quit the team, Shogo. You are endangering our record by stealing the abilities of those on your team. What purpose does it serve? Your gift is advantageous against opponents, but our goal is victory and if you are risking it out of pettiness, there is no place for you on the first string squad. The coach agrees with me and if you decide to stay, you will be demoted to second string, but you will not play in any future games. It is up to you if your pride can handle that."

"What the hell, Akashi?" His voice registered true shock at Akashi's words, he was a strong player and Rakuzan valued strength above all else. "I've been doing my job, what does it matter if I have a little fun at the same time? We're still winning, there isn't any harm in making it interesting, is there?"

"If you were only making it interesting, no. But that is not what you're doing. I refuse to allow any threats, internal or external, to our record while I am captain. I decided to say this to you today so it would not be odd if you left given the new level of training. Everyone knows you don't enjoy the current practice requirements. It would not surprise anyone if you decided it wasn't worth it to continue."

Haizaki barked out a laugh, it was cruel and anything but humorous, "Fine, you don't want me here? I'll leave, you bastard. I'm just killing time anyway. But I wouldn't be so sure you're going to keep that record. You're not as unshakable as you think. Whatever, it's not my problem anymore. Good luck with saving it." Akashi watched him leave without further comment. He didn't need luck. He was absolute. And he was going to prove that to them all, including a certain blue haired idealist who had dared to challenge him.

- _After practice, headed toward Maji Burger_ -

Kuroko listened intently as Kagami relayed the events of today's practice while they walked to Maji Burger. His friend was almost giddy with excitement about the strength Akashi had shown during their practice. Few things truly inspired Kagami like strong players he could test himself against and he was fired up about the possibility of getting to challenge Akashi during practice like that. Kuroko, for his part, felt a little unnerved and wondered if he had so seriously miscalculated his interaction with Akashi the previous evening.

"It was crazy, Kuroko. He just dominated the whole thing and it went by so fast. I've never seen him really go all out before and I have to say it makes me want to get stronger so I can take him on during one of those games. I don't know why he wanted the two third stringers to play, but they held in as best they could really. I guess it just goes to show how strong he is that he didn't even need Midorima, me, or even Haizaki to win and -"

At this, Kuroko shot a sharp glance at his friend and interrupted him, his voice more harsh than Kagami could ever recall hearing. "Kagami-kun, doesn't it strike you as odd to think you wouldn't need a teammate? Akashi-kun's reasons for that demonstration are his own, but don't be fooled into thinking that's a sustainable method."

"Huh, what do you mean Kuroko?"

Kuroko shook his head. "Let's get you fed first."

A short time later they'd settled into their seats, Kagami with a tray stacked high with burgers, and Kuroko with his milkshake. Kuroko took in the scene and was tempted to smile; it was very much like their first meeting, except Kagami knew he was there this time.

Kuroko waited until his friend had devoured a few of the burgers before he asked, "Kagami-kun, what do you think about your teammates and the games you've seen so far?"

Kagami paused in the midst of raising another burger toward his mouth and cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "Huh? Rakuzan is really strong, just like you told me before I joined. It has been great training with these guys. They seem unstoppable. I know I'm not at their level yet but it really gets me going to think I might be soon. I was worried about the quality of Japanese basketball when I came back this year, but it's been solid. Our games have gone so smoothly, it's unbelievable to watch. None of them are ever nervous, it's just incredible."

Kuroko nodded his head. "And what have you heard about last year's middle school championship game, Kagami-kun?"

"What? Well, not a lot I guess. I know it was a strong win. The coach was saying something recently about wanting to ensure another victory like last time. Why do you ask? Do you think the gap between the middle school and high school levels will be too much for us?"

Kuroko fiddled with the straw of his drink as he tried to determine the best way to broach this topic. Even though this had been his idea he was very nervous, he figured that Kagami would either not believe him or be angry that Kuroko had kept this a secret. Neither of those possibilities were happy thoughts for him, and it didn't help to consider there were even less positive reactions his friend could have.

"I don't think you have to worry about being outclassed in the high school league; Rakuzan holds far too many titles across each of the competition levels for that to be a concern. In fact…that's more of the problem."

If this wasn't an issue that was so important to Kuroko, he might have been tempted to laugh at the gob smacked look Kagami was displaying at the moment. "Huh? How is that a problem, Kuroko?"

"Kagami-kun, you haven't really experienced this yet because it's so early in the competitive season, but Rakuzan's games aren't normally like what you have seen in the practice matches with Seiho or Kaijo. Those teams don't rely on prodigies; they're teams of experts, so it takes a bit more effort even for Rakuzan to beat them. Since the Generation of Miracles really came into their power during middle school, they tend to be more like what you saw from Akashi-kun today. It's not about the game or the team; it's only about overwhelming your opponent."

Kagami looked uncertain, "Isn't that the point?"

The shorter male gave an ever so slight grimace in response to that question. "Winning is certainly a goal of sports, I'm not denying that. And I suppose this won't make sense to you until you really see them in action during the Inter High tournament, but Kagami-kun, you most definitely don't want a victory like last year's middle school championship." Kagami gestured for Kuroko to continue as he kept attacking his meal.

"Kagami-kun, the Generation of Miracles is far more notorious than it might seem given you spend so much time with them, they probably appear more normal to you than they do to outsiders. But they have a reputation that exceeds aggressive. They don't cheat, they're not underhanded about it, but they toy with their opponents in a way that shows they've lost respect for both the game and the competition itself. That's why I have to tell you something, a few somethings, actually." He drew in a breath here and Kagami noted the utter seriousness on his companion's face.

"First, they change during an actual game. The last vestiges of humor or teasing that you see during practice vanish completely. It's not about having fun, working together, or even improving individually. Those scoring quotas aren't in place to motivate everyone to have a good game, but to keep everyone focused because they're bored – they know they'll win so they don't care about anything else."

Kagami started to interrupt Kuroko so the shorter teen asked him to please wait until he was finished. Kagami subsided but he didn't look happy about it.

"The reason last year's championship was so brutal is that they deliberately made the score match, 111-11, by ending the game with a score on their own basket. My friend's team was the opponent and they were utterly destroyed, it was cruel to end it that way."

This was more than Kagami could take and remain silent as he interjected forcefully, "Okay so that seems a little harsh, but is it really worth getting that upset over, Kuroko? I'm sure because it was your friend's team it seems additionally personal, but they're more mature now. They've probably realized that was a mistake."

"No, they haven't Kagami-kun. If nothing else, then Akashi-kun's performance today tells me that. He used those third stringers to demonstrate to Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara that he doesn't consider them to be his equal; in effect, he stated they were interchangeable with any player that could take up a position on the court. Victory is the only thing that matters, and the pursuit of it means drastic measures can be taken. Which brings me to the next thing, Kagami-kun…" Kuroko's eyes had gone flat at Kagami's defense of his teammates, he wasn't really surprised, but it was proving to be difficult to process nonetheless. "The reason Akashi-kun asked me to come to your practice the other day is that he found a notebook of mine I dropped after Murasakibara-kun lifted me up. I made a lot of notes about all of you during the time I studied in the gym, and he found something out about me that made him curious."

Kagami, after adding two and two here and naturally getting seven, interrupted again, "Do you…have a crush on someone on the team, Kuroko? Is that what he found out? Because he was reading your journal? Look, that's totally not his business; I can talk to him if you want."

Kuroko couldn't help it; he burst out laughing at this rather charming, if unnecessary, show of support. "Kagami-kun, thank you for that, really. But that's not exactly where I was going with this." The combination of Kuroko's sincere amusement along with the inadvertent release of his anxiety meant that it took Kuroko a few moments to get himself under control; but finally he was ready to continue and felt much better about it now. Kagami looked a little put upon but waited until his friend had managed to contain himself.

"Kagami-kun, the notebook had strategies and training notes in it, that's all. Akashi-kun began changing some of the techniques and regimens that Rakuzan utilizes after the last day I watched practice because he implemented a lot of what I'd written. It was never my intention that he or any of the others see it, I'm just used to writing down ideas when I watch basketball, but since he did find it, he was curious about my knowledge of basketball. That is why he asked you and Aomine-kun to invite me to practice the other day. What he'd found out about me is that I played basketball for Rakuzan for two years on the elementary squad and he wanted more information."

"You…used to play? Why did you stop? Why didn't you say something before now?"

"I stopped playing for Rakuzan for a few reasons, one of which was simply that the emphasis on victory to the exclusion of all else became too great a burden for me. The reason I haven't brought up the nature of Rakuzan's policies before now is that I didn't want to detract from your experiences Kagami-kun. You seem to be thriving on the team, and I was rather hoping you'd pick up on it yourself, but it has reached a critical stage now." Kuroko looked absently out of the window for a moment. "Kagami-kun, I am playing basketball for a different school, I play for Seirin, in Tokyo. And one of my teammates is Himuro Tatsuya."

Kagami's brain refused to process what it had just been told. He slowly set down the hamburger he'd just picked up and stared uncomprehendingly at Kuroko. "Tatsuya is in Japan and you are playing basketball with him…at another school?"

"He transferred to Seirin after the summer break last year. I began training with them around then as well. I commute to Tokyo most days after your practice to train with Seirin. At some point after you transferred to Rakuzan I brought up your name and he mentioned the two of you have some unfinished business."

Kagami instinctively reached for the ring he wore as a necklace, he didn't even know where to start. His last meeting with Tatsuya…could it really have been a year? Kagami had tried to call Tatsuya to let him know that he was moving to Japan and hadn't managed to reach him, he couldn't believe that Tatsuya had already been here and not let him know. His eyes were completely focused as he looked at Kuroko. "You better explain this from the beginning. I won't interrupt you this time so say what you need to."

Kuroko nodded in acceptance of Kagami's invitation and he went over the history of the Generation of Miracles, explaining how he had watched them change and the results of their increasing apathy. He told Kagami about his shock over the game with Ogiwara's team and how he'd come to work with Seirin, including the special provision he'd uncovered. He paused when it came to discussing Himuro but Kagami shot him a look that conveyed more clearly than words it was in his best interests to continue. So he did. He told Kagami about the results of being discovered by Murasakibara, the confrontation in the gym the other day, and even about most of the train ride with Akashi the previous evening. And when he was finally finished, the silence was beyond heavy. When Kagami finally broke it, his words were devastating.

"Kuroko, I know this is important to you, clearly it must be. But it is difficult to believe they can really be that bad. Are you sure this isn't just some type of misplaced regret about quitting the team?" Kuroko understood Kagami's response, but that didn't lessen his disappointment.

His reply was quiet, "I can't make you believe me, Kagami-kun. I have no other proof but my words. But I did want to warn you because of the Inter High tournament coming up. It's possible we won't play each other, however my goal is to show the Generation of Miracles what they've lost with their style of basketball. I want them to smile again and to play like they did two years ago. And maybe it won't be enough, but this is my plan."

Kagami hesitated before asking, "Kuroko, why did you make friends with me? Was it part of your plan?"

Kuroko sighed. "Kagami-kun...don't be ridiculous. For one thing, we met before I knew you were a basketball player. For another, my plans went into effect long before you got here. Honestly, I didn't really intend for us to be friends, but it happened anyway and I truly value that, Kagami-kun. I could have watched Rakuzan practices anytime I wanted; they're not closed to the public. I didn't need you to bring me in there to get an inside scoop. That was never part of my plan anyway, I want to win fairly or there won't be any point to it. As I told Aomine-kun, I did hope your arrival on the team might remind them of how they used to play, but I'm not sure it was enough. If my plan does eventually work, you'll be part of it, but not because I took advantage of our friendship."

Kagami nodded. "I hope you find what you're searching for, Kuroko, even though I don't completely understand it. I'm looking forward to playing you and Tatsuya, but I really can't see us losing. Maybe when you're back on the court with us it won't seem as distorted as it did from the stands."

Kuroko's voice was stoically polite as he replied, "Perhaps not, Kagami-kun." He knew he didn't have the right to expect more from Kagami, who hadn't had a real opportunity to see what the Generation of Miracles was capable of, but he'd held out hope that his friend would at least understand that he should be more wary of his teammates. Kuroko unhappily reflected that Akashi had been right; it had been a matter of when it would be most strategically effective for Kagami to know. Kuroko had rushed it in his effort to head off the other teen. He had lost this gamble.

Kagami was jabbering on about his assurance that there would be amazing games to see in the tournament and Kuroko had to admit his loyalty to the team was admirable. He was at least happy that Kagami wasn't angry about his keeping this a secret from him; although he felt that that his friend wasn't completely ready to see Himuro again. Kagami hadn't communicated his thoughts on the matter and Kuroko understood it was tabled for the moment, but he had no doubt it would come up again.

They stayed and talked for a while, Kagami was interested in hearing Kuroko's thoughts on many things related to basketball and they had a lively debate on a potential dream team of players. As they were finally taking their leave of one another, Kuroko revised his earlier assessment. He had lost in terms of the most effective time to reveal the nature of the Generation of Miracles, but he had strengthened his friendship with Kagami-kun. That was enough for the moment. He had other moves to contemplate and he knew Akashi would be doing the same. Seirin's first game for the Inter High preliminaries was next week and Kuroko had a lot to prepare for his team to be ready. Things would be moving quickly now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

 

It was a few days later when Kagami inadvertently set in motion events that would change the level of rivalry between Kuroko and the Generation of Miracles. Since Kuroko's revelation the previous week, they had added basketball to almost every conversation between them. And in the spirit of friendship, Kuroko had told Kagami about Seirin's first game in the Inter High qualifiers. They would be playing Shinkyo High, a team that had rapidly improved with the addition of an international student from Senegal, Papa Mbaye Siki. After practice, Kagami had asked Aomine what he knew about the Shinkyo team, and the rest of the Generation of Miracles overheard the exchange.

"Eh? Why do you care about Shinkyo, Kagami? If we come against them we'll barely have to break a sweat, they're nothing to worry about."

"Oh. So they're not very strong? I saw the bracket for the Inter High preliminaries, they have a match this week, and since this is the first round of the competition, I was just wondering how it might go."

Akashi looked over at the pair and he had a strong suspicion as to the reason for Kagami's question. He kept silent for the moment as he continued to observe the situation.

"Tch. Not for us at least. I doubt they'll make it very far in the bracket. Do you know who they're playing? That'll probably tell you right away if they'll even make it past the first round."

"Yeah they're playing Seirin. I thought I might go watch the game since Kuroko's playing and I don't know how far they'll get, so I want to support him at least for now." Kuroko had told Kagami the others knew he was on the Seirin team so he didn't think there was any reason to hide his interest in the game.

"An excellent idea, Taiga. We should all go support our schoolmate, we're not truly rivals yet, so it would be the gracious thing to do." Akashi's voice was calm but he was feeling excited. He hadn't actually seen Tetsuya play and he was interested to have the opportunity to evaluate the other's skills.

When Kagami told Kuroko they were coming to watch the match Kuoko had merely nodded. He had expected that would happen eventually. The nature of the tournament meant that there were opportunities for other teams to scout your own efforts, and really he could not expect any less from Akashi-kun. If Seirin won, it gave Akashi an early opportunity to see their strength; if they lost, Akashi would be on hand to reinforce the inferiority of his team's attack.

Kuroko recalled the team practice following his revelation to Kagami. His teammates had quietly offered their support in light of Kuroko's disappointment and he'd appreciated their understanding. Himuro had been amused – he'd commented that Taiga wasn't one for deep thinking so he'd probably need a more concrete experience to understand. Kuroko had privately relayed Kagami's surprise at Himuro's presence in Japan and his seeming nervousness about their eventual encounter. Himuro had been silent for a moment before his grey gaze focused on Kuroko again. He'd simply stated they had things to settle but it would be coming soon enough.

The other members of Seirin were similarly accepting of their Rakuzan spectators. They couldn't afford to let their guard down at any stage of the tournament so it was possible they might have to show all their cards early on. But they didn't have a choice so in the end, everyone merely shrugged philosophically and continued with their training. Riko had been extremely proud of the team for not buckling under the pressure and Kuroko had been happy to see everyone's resolve.

Now they just had to win.

-Seirin's match against Shinkyo-

As Seirin warmed up they noticed that the Sengalese player not yet arrived. Tanimura, Shinkyo's captain, wandered over to them and asked if they had really managed to defeat Kaijo, and Hyuga answered in the affirmative with the disclaimer it had been a practice game.

At that moment, Papa Mbaye Siki entered the gymnasium and with an apology for being late, was brought up to speed by his captain that Seirin had defeated Kaijo and their Uncrowned King, Kotaro Hayama. The tall player looked dismissively at them, he saw no threat among the assembled players, and simply stated, "They brought me here to beat the Uncrowned Kings and Generation of Miracles. But it seems there will be no challenge here after all." Seirin visibly fumed at this low estimation of their skill but resolved to show the other what they were made of.

"Dad," as Seirin had dubbed him after having difficulty pronouncing his name, proceeded to walk away but stumbled into Kuroko, who he hadn't seen standing there. He frowned and lifted Kuroko in the air, saying loudly "No, little boy, the court is no place for children." When Kuroko's shirt rode up and revealed his uniform underneath, the international student was stunned, "You're a player? If an Uncrowned King lost to a child like him…are all of them children?" He set Kuroko down with a look of disgust as he walked away.

Up in the stands Kagami frowned. He knew Kuroko was probably not the strongest player but that was still very rude in his book. Aomine snorted, "He's not wrong, Tetsu's not very impressive looking on the court. But if he's comparing us to children, well, if Seirin loses we'll be happy to show him soon enough the strength of the Generation of Miracles."

Kuroko's teammates couldn't help it, they were giggling at the mistake. However, at the soft "Honestly, I'm getting annoyed" from Kuroko, they all immediately quieted and even Aomine lifted an eyebrow in surprise at the look on Kuroko's face, though he hadn't heard the comment.

"Kurochin has a temper." Murasakibara's matter of fact observation was delivered as he worked on opening a package of seaweed crisps; he frowned as the bag proved to be more difficult than expected. "They should be careful."

"Who, Seirin? You think he's too emotional to play?" Kise was surprised by Murasakibara's comment, one didn't normally think of Kuroko as a volatile person.

The purple haired teen, already annoyed that his snack was proving troublesome, glared at Kise for his misunderstanding. "No. The other team. Kurochin doesn't like being underestimated. You should know that, Kisechin." Kise flushed at this reminder but kept silent.

As the teams lined up to begin the game, Papa Mbaye Siki was yawning and could not have looked less interested if he'd wanted to. The match started and the tall international student was easily able to take the ball over the shorter Seirin team at the tip off.

He was, however, unprepared for the swift steal that Himuro managed to perform; the shooting guard sent it to Hyuga who immediately sank a three pointer. Midorima analyzed the shot and concluded that while it was not on his level, it was a good one. Kagami watched Tatsuya with something akin to pain in his eyes; it had been a long time since he had played ball with the other teen and he missed it.

Dad was angry at this early upset and when Shinkyo moved for the counterattack he was ready to get the points back. He lazily shot the ball high above the Seirin players and smirked at their reactions. This would be easy. The Shinkyo team seemed to share this thought as they congratulated their star player and prepared to continue sending Papa the ball.

Tanimura addressed Hyuga after hearing the disappointed groans from Seirin's bench. "Are you one of those hardworking teams? We see a lot of them. What's wrong with having strong players? We're not breaking any rules and it makes the game easy, we just have to pass him the ball."

"Eh? We have our own strong players. There's nothing wrong with using strength, but don't complain about the results if your policy is to rely only on him. We're an offensive team for a reason." Hyuga's reply seemed to confuse the other captain as he couldn't imagine Seirin being able to counter Papa's strength.

However, with Mitobe guarding him Dad found his usual accuracy was greatly reduced because he couldn't get into the position that he wanted to. The silent player infuriated the tall international student, who was finally forced to retreat from the attack position because of the center's defensive style. "It's a good strategy for them, since they can't jump high enough to block those shots, they've concentrated their efforts on keeping Papa unsettled while they go for outside shots." Akashi's assessment was delivered casually but it held appreciation of the plan.

Shinkyo caught a break when they managed to block one of Hyuga's shots and take possession of the ball, but they were astonished to have the ball immediately stolen by what seemed like magic as they had forgotten about Kuroko.

The Rakuzan delegation all frowned, they had also forgotten Kuroko was playing and had lost sight of him among the more dominant players. Akashi kept his eyes trained on Tetsuya for a while, seeking to uncover the secrets of his style. It was difficult; the phantom player rarely had the ball for more than a moment as he seemed to primarily pass to his teammates; especially the one with the fascinating Mirage Shot that had been deployed so effectively against Shinkyo. But as he watched the other team continually seem to lose track of Tetsuya, Akashi understood the technique was related to misdirection, a logical way to use Tetsuya's minimal presence to Seirin's advantage.

The teams seemed fairly well matched; the score stayed close as each team worked hard to make their shots and defend against the other. It was not until Dad saw what appeared to be a loose ball coming toward him that Seirin's true attacking power was revealed. He didn't notice the blue haired player's movement until the ball vanished from his sight. Kuroko's deflection of the ball toward Himuro was fast and powerful, and Dad was unprepared for the swiftly orchestrated dance between the two as they moved in between members of Shinkyo's defense.

Himuro caught Kuroko's eye and because of their long practice with this plan, they synchronized instantly for Himuro to fake an advance while Kuroko moved to receive his pass and immediately send it back around Shinkyo's defense, allowing Himuro to score without interference. Dad was incredulous at this coordination and as he swung his arms around to chase after Himuro, he accidentally, but forcefully, struck Kuroko, causing him to fall down. The referee called for a time out as Hyuga and Himuro both went over to their teammate to ask if he was alright. Kuroko was bleeding and looked disoriented, he tried to say he was okay but it clear he was not and Riko asked for a first aid kit. After Kuroko was helped off the court Seirin struggled to keep the game a close one; they'd lost momentum and their ability to get around the other team without their blue haired shadow.

"I knew we didn't have anything to worry about. Felled with a single blow? Pathetic." Kise's comment was bored, he hadn't wanted to come in the first place and his fairly low opinion of Kuroko hadn't been changed by this performance.

"Shut up, Kise. Kuroko's shorter than we are, the angle was worse for him." Kagami's defense was immediate and angry but Kise merely shrugged. Basketball was a sport of size after all, it was exceedingly clear to him that Seirin fell short on several levels.

Akashi watched the proceedings with an apparently dispassionate expression. Internally he was divided; if Seirin was so weak that the removal of one player was all it took to defeat them then they were not ready to advance. On the other hand, he found he did not care for the method with which Tetsuya's team would be neutralized if that happened.

The score steadily crept away from Seirin, with Shinkyo leading by a 22 point margin in the third quarter. Riko was watching the team anxiously and in response to Furihata's question about any possibilities to recover, answered only that they needed Kuroko, who was still lying down on medical mat behind their bench.

"Very well, I'll be going then." They turned to see Kuroko shakily getting up, the bandage covering his head making him look even more pitiful than he sounded.

"No Kuroko-kun! You can't play!" Riko was surprised he was even able to stand, and he wanted to get back on the court?

"But you just told me to go. Please, if I can make a difference, let me go out there."

The coach eyed her injured player, taking an assessment of his overall condition. Her scan reassured her that he was better than he looked. "Okay, Kuroko-kun. But if it looks like you're in trouble, I am subbing you out immediately. Go get them!"

Murasakibara hadn't really been paying attention to the game for a while but he did notice Kuroko's conference with his coach. "Kurochin's coming back in." The others swiveled their heads to verify this statement and almost all of them were incredulous at this turn of events.

"Are they crazy? He looks like he can barely stand! This is suicide!" Aomine's surprise was not unwarranted.

"No, they're not that desperate; they mean to win. He wouldn't be allowed to come back in if it wasn't intended to assist with their victory, so they must have a plan." Midorima's opinion on the matter notwithstanding, it still looked like Seirin was in a difficult situation.

Kuroko waited for the "Seirin! Member Change!" announcement to be called from the officials before heading out to the court to replace Koganei. Himuro watched his partner return and with a quiet "Let's go, Kuroko-kun," they were ready to engage their opponents. The tone of the game changed – Seirin's morale visibly rose with the return of their phantom and it was if they'd all received an energy burst as well. Suddenly, Shinkyo's lead looked less than secure, and Seirin quickly clawed back up to a single basket difference.

"They work well together." If there was a hint of wistfulness in Kagami's comment, none of the others mentioned it.

"Kurochin probably has to; he's not a normal player. That other one seems like he's strong enough on his own though."

"Tatsuya's strong. I can tell he's even stronger than the last time I saw him."

"Taiga, you seem to have an endless string of interesting acquaintances." Akashi's softly drawled observation was not without bite.

"I know him from America- he taught me to play basketball."

Aomine quirked an eyebrow before teasing, "Then he's definitely improved because you sucked when you got here."

As if that was a pre-designated signal, they all turned their attention back to the match and paid careful attention to the battle being waged in front of them.

It was exhausting, but because Kuroko had regained his effectiveness from the unanticipated break, he was able to reapply his misdirection against Shinkyo. The watchful eyes of the Generation of Miracles noted that his overall stamina was low; they could tell he was almost at his end, but they simultaneously recognized the determination in his eyes that stated he would tolerate nothing less than victory.

"He's like me" Akashi realized with some surprise. Tetsuya's style was different from his own, certainly, but as Akashi watched he noticed that Kuroko's passes inspired the team to work more effectively and that he frequently caught up with individual players to hold quick strategy sessions as situations warranted it during the game. It was a bit like looking into a distorted mirror – Tetsuya was not powerful enough to take on the captain's mantle, true, but he was incontrovertibly strengthening the team and facilitating their strategies to a notable degree.

"I thought you said he scored a basket against you, Aominecchi. He hasn't taken a shot in this game. All he does is steal or pass. What fun is that?"

Aomine frowned, "Maybe it was a lucky shot; Tetsu might not have mastery over it. But he definitely can do it at least some of the time."

Midorima snorted, "Idiots. Look at his form – he's still unsteady from his injury. Kuroko's nowhere near our strength even at his best, but you can tell he's fighting disorientation right now. See how he keeps tilting to correct for imbalance before he pivots to change directions? He won't risk using an ability he doesn't have absolute confidence with while in this state and most likely his shots are not his strongest weapon. If anything this should tell you how self-assured he is about those passes and steals; you can't see any decrease in their power despite the injury."

Papa was not giving up yet, however, and by sheer determination he and the rest of the Shinkyo team kept the score close as the seconds ticked away. He wasn't having his usual point run because of Mitobe's pressure defense but he wasn't so inexperienced a player to be continually shut out even with the frustrating conditions at hand. The final six seconds had the score tied 71-71 but Papa refused to accept a loss at the hands of a team with a child on it. When he finally managed to dodge Mitobe and was about to shoot the winning basket, he was unprepared to see Kuroko speeding toward him and the smaller player forcefully slammed the ball out of his hands toward Himuro; who gracefully evaded the stunned Shinkyo members to sink a three point buzzer beater, affording Seirin the win, 74-71.

Akashi took in these final moments silently. He recognized the results for what they were. It reinforced his understanding that Tetsuya was dangerously committed to his goals. There would be no bluffing or intimidation that would work here; it was an interesting proposition to consider.

The last thing Kuroko saw before he was swarmed by his teammates was Akashi-kun's unwavering stare from the stands. By the time the joyful huddle disbanded, Akashi and the other Rakuzan athletes had left.

-After the game-

Once Kuroko was examined at the local hospital and given the all clear, the team felt they could truly celebrate their win. It was a combination of relief at advancing, not having serious harm done to Kuroko, and sheer giddiness in response to the endorphins flowing through all of them. The team could even pick up on the small indicators of delight in Himuro and Kuroko; neither of whom was known for being very expressive.

Riko saw a truck advertising free steak pass by and suggested they have a meal together in honor of the occasion. The Seirin team soon found themselves faced with a task that seemed as equally difficult to accomplish as making it to the Inter High finals – a four kilogram steak was set in front of each player, they had thirty minutes to eat it or each of them that failed would have to pay ten thousand yen. Needless to say, it was unlikely they could pay for one unfinished steak, let alone the bill that would be presented for the team as a whole. Kuroko took in the daunting situation and calmly pulled out his phone and tapped out a quick message to Kagami-kun. The others didn't notice this action but they would soon be grateful for Kuroko's foresight.

They were all wearing their "Seirin, FIGHT!" faces and gamely attacked the challenge, but it was quickly proving to be overwhelming. Kuroko tapped out after less than an eighth of his steak had been consumed, with a polite "I give up" as he daintily dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"KUROKO!" was collectively groaned as they realized the blue haired player was absolutely useless in this battle. They paid no attention to the door opening as someone entered the restaurant; they were all too busy trying to force another forkful of the tasty, but gargantuan, steak into their mouths.

"Hey, Kuroko, great game! Are you done with that already? Can I have it then?" Kuroko looked up to see Kagami and with no small relief, he passed the plate to his large classmate as the tall redhead claimed the seat across from him.

"Thanks for coming, Kagami-kun. Yes, please finish it."

Kagami waved casually to the Seirin team as he began attacking Kuroko's steak. Kuroko smiled and quickly introduced his friend to the others. Everyone had mixed reactions at seeing him in person after hearing about the Rakuzan student from both Kuroko and Himuro.

"This is delicious, I should order more!" Then taking note that many of the others seemed to be done, he asked them to hand it over to save him the trouble of getting up. There was an immediate pile in front of the redhead who wasted no time cheerfully launching into the fray. Kagami's arrival was a stroke of good fortune for the Seirin team as he easily conquered the enemy – meaning everyone watched with fascinated horror as the tall redhead seemed to merely inhale and the food disappeared.

"I see some things haven't changed, Taiga. Did Kuroko-kun summon reinforcements?" Himuro's soft voice was amused as he watched Kagami's swift and efficient decimation of what had seemed an insurmountable task for ten individuals but proved laughably easy for this one champion. Kagami paused with his fork in midair; he'd very carefully avoided looking at the enigmatic teen seated next to Kuroko but it seemed he wouldn't be able to continue doing that.

"Yeah. Well, watching the game wasn't the same as playing, but I still got fired up so I was hungry anyway. Kuroko mentioned your team was here and said if I was still in the area I should drop by." Kagami unconsciously fiddled with the ring he wore around his neck and Himuro's mouth flattened as he took in the gesture. It was instantly noticeable how the air between Kagami and Himuro seemed to thicken with tension. The Seirin team shifted uncomfortably, they weren't sure what to do as this reunion was clearly fraught.

"Kagami-kun, Himuro-san, I apologize for rushing your reunion like this. But in order for Kagami-kun to save us, he must finish the food in the next six minutes. Please pardon my selfishness; however may I ask for a brief pause in your discussion?" Kuroko's intrusion broke the tension and everyone laughed as Kagami and Himuro both looked surprised by Kuroko's statement.

Kagami smirked self-consciously before reaching over and lightly punching Kuroko's shoulder. "You bastard. Fine, I'll save you guys this once." He quickly returned to the waiting steaks as the owner of the establishment was frantically staring at the clock, wishing for the time to wind down before the teenager could finish.

Himuro agreed as well. But the older teen actually excused himself, saying he had an errand he had to take care of. After obtaining Riko's permission and taking his leave of everyone, he slipped out. Kuroko followed him to ask in private if he was okay. Himuro nodded his head and thanked Kuroko for his concern. "I'm not ready to just sit down with him until the other matter is settled. So I can't stay. But I'll see you soon Kuroko-kun, please take care since you're injured."

As Kuroko started to go back inside he caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Kise casually leaning against the fence and looking at him. The blond had a nonchalant smile and gave a small wave in his direction before calling out, "Good game, Kuroko. Do you have a minute to talk?"

Kuroko hesitated briefly before going over. "Hello Kise-kun. What can I do for you?"

"Let's walk a moment." And so Kuroko found himself silently accompanying Kise down the sidewalk, there was no real destination in mind but as fate would have it they ended up outside a street ball court and Kise nimbly scaled a bench to sit along the backrest and stretch his legs down over the seat.

"How's your head? You went down pretty hard."

"It's fine. The doctor said I should rest but that otherwise no permanent damage was done."

Kise eyed him before slyly asking, "So you told him the truth, hmm? I was surprised. But when we found ourselves ordered to attend this match, to support you of course, after Kagamicchi asked about Shinkyo, we all knew."

"Yes, I told him. On the whole its better, neither Akashi-kun nor myself can use it as leverage anymore."

"You're still hung-up on this idea that you're somehow protecting Kagamicchi, aren't you? I don't understand you, Kuroko. Winning is everything in sports. I saw you today; you don't play with the goal to lose any more than we do. The only difference is that we don't have to work as hard as you do to ensure that. Rakuzan's basketball wins, so it is right. Once he gets a few games under his belt, Kagamicchi will be more like us. Will he still be so precious to you when that happens?"

"Kise-kun –" Whatever Kuroko was going to say was cut off as Kagami came flying toward him and roughly shoved him.

"Bastard, why'd you run off with Kise like that? Your coach, who by the way is threatening that a Boston crab hold will be in your very near future, is really pissed off. You left without taking your bag so we couldn't call you. That's not very smart when you've just been injured, idiot."

Kagami then glanced over at Kise, saying shortly, "Yo."

The blonde pursed his lips before asking "Were you listening?"

"I sure as hell was! Why'd you kidnap Kuroko like that?

"What? Who cares if I talk with him a little bit?"

"Seirin does, apparently. They can't go home yet. You know he's injured, they were worried. Their coach is going on about responsibility or something like that."

While Kagami and Kise continued arguing in this way, Kuroko noticed some thugs arriving at the basketball court and that they began hassling the group already having a game. There was a snarky offer from the new arrivals to settle it with basketball, which the players that had gotten there first uneasily accepted.

At first, things were going well. But when one of the interlopers that had been standing on the sidelines intervened and blocked a shot despite the three-on-three design, then kicked the downed player, it was clear the game was taking a dangerous turn. Kuroko had already been moving to their side and his voice was tight from anger, "There's nothing fair about this. This isn't basketball. Besides, violence is bad."

Kagami and Kise couldn't believe their eyes as they took in the smaller teen, his head still bandaged from his earlier injury, apparently prepared to intervene and take on the five large males that were bristling with aggression. "What the hell is he doing?" Kagami asked incredulously.

Even Kise wasn't sure how to react to this and they both went striding over as another of the bullies gripped Kuroko's collar in his fist and was starting to lift him off the ground, asking "What do you think you're doing?"

The ringleader laughed however there was no kindness in it. "To think there's still guys like this nowadays. Fine, we'll settle this with basketball." It was abundantly clear they were planning to destroy Kuroko for his impertinence.

Just as those words finished leaving the thug's mouth, Kagami's hand dropped onto Kuroko's head as he and Kise came up behind the smaller teen.

"Mind if we join, too?" Kise's request was playful but you didn't have to strain to hear his intention to wipe the floor with the bullies. He glanced over at Kuroko before adding, "We can't let you have all the fun, Kuroko."

"Tch, why'd you get involved, you bastard?" Kagami's question held annoyance yet he was secretly excited to have the opportunity to blow off some steam; he'd been riled up for a while now. The would-be bullies looked scared now but Kagami wasn't through. "Five-on-three's fine. Bring it on."

This pissed the five ruffians off and one of them barked out incredulously, "What'd you say?" as all of their faces were twitching angrily. They were confident of their abilities and so the match was set.

It took only a few moments for the trio to achieve their goal and this was made even more incredible by the fact the three of them had not played together before. Kise was taken aback by how quickly he caught onto Kuroko's rhythm and it was as though they'd been in sync a thousand times before this as he barely needed to check to know when Kuroko would send the ball his way. He was impressed; it hadn't come across as clearly when he'd been observing during the earlier game, but Kuroko appeared to constantly assess positions and adjust for it as he sped around and redirected the ball to either Kagami or Kise.

Kagami and Kise had more experience with each other's styles because of Rakuzan's practices, but this felt different even to them. They didn't have a pre-planned strategy designed by Momoi, Akashi, and the coach; instead they were playing instinctively, and oddly enough, together. The three players that had first been on the court could only watch in amazement as the bullies were defeated quickly and decisively.

After they left the court, Kagami immediately began scolding Kuroko, "What the hell were you thinking Kuroko? Did you imagine you could win if it turned into a fight?"

Kuroko replied evenly, "No, they would have beaten me up." He flexed his arm, "Look at these guns."

Kagami's exasperated "You don't have any!" made Kise chuckle and look at the shorter male consideringly.

"I thought those guys were terrible. I just wanted to tell them." His eyes were calm and his tone was resolute.

"You should've considered the consequences first!"

"I forgot to. I'm sorry." He may have allowed a hint of an apology to creep into his reply but it was clear he was not sorry for intervening, only for causing worry for someone else.

It was likely they would have kept on this theme if Kise hadn't interrupted them. "We should let Kurokocchi get back to his team." He met Kuroko's eyes, "I'm interested now. Don't lose before we get to play you."

Kuroko easily picked up on the significance of Kise's words, including the newly added suffix to his name, and he nodded slowly in reply.

They might well have all departed then, if a coolly amused voice hadn't interjected, "Ryota, Taiga, it seems you've found the hero of the hour." They looked over and saw Akashi standing with Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara. "Ryota we grew concerned, you said you'd only need a few minutes. Taiga had the grace to excuse himself more thoroughly."

Kise began to offer an apology but Akashi waved it off. "Never mind, this is just as well anyway." His eyes stayed on Kuroko for what seemed a long moment. "Congratulations, Tetsuya. Today was an important victory. It was an informative game, certainly."

"Thank you, Akashi-kun. I am honored all of you could attend."

"We wouldn't have missed it, I assure you. You have a few more rounds in the preliminary bracket, but after today's game, I am expecting great things from you, Tetsuya. I will be following your progress closely. Don't disappoint me." Akashi didn't wait for a reply, simply turned and left, with Kise scrambling after him in an apparent effort to make up for his earlier delay.

Midorima spoke up next, "There is much I would like to say to you, Kuroko, but now is not the time. Enjoy today's victory; however you'll have to join us in the finals before you can hope to make your point." He inclined his head toward his remaining teammates and Kuroko before swiftly following after his captain and Kise.

Of course Murasakibara was next. His expression was more remote than Kuroko could remember seeing before. He advanced toward Kuroko and stood silently for a minute or so, staring at Kuroko without blinking. Finally Murasakibara reached out and gently patted his head. "I told you, Kurochin, that you could get hurt. You'll need to be more careful if you want to make it very far in the tournament." Kuroko was speechless, that was not what he'd expected from the other teen. But then he continued, "Akachin won't underestimate you, Kurochin. And we won't either. Be ready for that." He left, apparently headed to join the other two that had already departed. His long legs would quickly eat up the distance even without additional effort.

Aomine chuckled darkly. "You've done it now, Tetsu. Everyone's all excited. I think we can have some fun now." He waved insouciantly and loped off, but not with the others; he was headed toward an arcade.

Finally it was just Kagami and Kuroko. The redhead looked down toward his friend, "Kuroko…it was a good game. I'm not sure where this leaves us, though. I can see that Seirin's a decent team, and you and Tatsuya are formidable. But.." Kagami trailed off and waved vaguely in the direction the others had been standing, "Rakuzan's dominance in basketball has held for a reason. I think you might need to seriously contemplate what you're up against."

Kuroko met his eyes without a hint of hesitation. "Kagami-kun, nothing is certain. We can only speculate based on past results, but nothing is sure until we actually play. For all I know of you, and what each of you knows of Seirin, there's nothing to preordain what happens during the game itself. Each of us will prepare as best we can, and if today's match inspires them to take the game seriously, I can consider that a step toward change. But it shouldn't just be because of me, whatever challenge they're feeling is something that should be brought to every game; otherwise the point hasn't been made. I don't think it'll be easy Kagami-kun. But surely that's the whole idea."

Kagami shrugged, "You think a lot, Kuroko. I just play. But you're right, it wouldn't be that easy."

Kuroko tilted his head, "Kagami-kun, did you hear what Kise-kun said earlier?"

"Yeah and don't think it doesn't piss me off that you think I need protecting. But honestly, what kind of change can there be? Whatever, I'm happy enough to be playing. We'll see what happens from there. You better get back to your team though, Kuroko. I'm pretty sure Riko wasn't joking about that Boston crab hold."

At the reminder of Riko's threat, Kuroko gulped and noticeably paled. He didn't doubt he'd be in trouble. "Uh, Kagami-kun, may I borrow your phone? I better call Riko-san as soon as possible."

Kagami laughed and handed over his phone. He didn't envy the Kuroko as he heard the angered voice emerging from the phone once it connected. As he watched his friend try to placate his angry coach, he realized that the spirit that led him to fight this bizarre battle with the Rakuzan starters was the same idealism that inspired his conflict with the bastards from earlier. Kagami didn't understand all of Kuroko's views, but he knew that in Kuroko's mind, such events were related. He was excited about Rakuzan's debut match that was scheduled for two days from now; he planned to invite Kuroko to the game. Well, he amended mentally, that was if Kuroko was still alive after his coach got through with him. He wasn't a betting man, however he had serious doubts about Kuroko's continued longevity if someone didn't manage to calm that woman down and fast. Kuroko hadn't batted an eye about the possibility of being beaten up by those thugs, yet he looked positively queasy at the threats being hurled his way via the disembodied voice of the young woman on the other end.

When the call was finally over, Kuroko handed the phone back. "Kagami-kun, it is a good thing Riko-san only serves as a coach and doesn't actually play basketball. Nobody would be able to stand against her. I'm supposed to head back toward the restaurant now. Thank you for your help today. I'll see you soon."

Kagami nodded and wished him luck before traipsing off himself. He absentmindedly played with the ring around his neck again; he had a lot to think about from today. And he needed to call Alex. If anyone had the insight he needed, she would.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

 

Riko had banned Kuroko from practice for the next few days to ensure he made a full recovery. She was worried that the drain of the commute alongside the physical demands of their training would ultimately hinder his progress. She agreed to let him train in Kyoto, but she strongly cautioned him not to overdo it or he'd risk his overall performance.

Kuroko considered his options for how best to use his forced time off. While he could try to join in a game at an indoor gym or street court, he felt it was more important to work on his stamina. He'd improved from his first appearance with Seirin last summer, but Kuroko was aware that even prior to his injury in the Shinkyo game he'd almost been out of steam. He certainly didn't want to make a medical time out his default recovery strategy, so in lieu of the teamwork exercises he could develop with Seirin; he'd focus on his individual regimen today. After classes ended for the day he'd gone to the school's general exercise room to take advantage of the state of the art facilities Rakuzan provided their students. Since most athletic teams either had separate training areas or would book out this room if needed, he knew he could use it freely.

Having changed in the attached locker room, Kuroko headed out and began a series of warm-up stretches while forcing himself to monitor his breathing. Once he was limbered up he moved to a free mat and started a customized training program he'd designed with Riko. They'd mutually agreed it was counterproductive for him to try to bulk up too much; his frame wasn't intended to carry the muscle mass of players like Kagami or Aomine. Instead, his movements reflected a unique combination of traditional calisthenics, Pilates, and elements from his martial arts background. This program was focused on emphasizing his psychomotor skills while providing a balanced use of muscular and aerobic conditioning and he moved through it with an intense fluidity that spoke of his dedication.

Kuroko made a mistake when he moved too suddenly during a transition and he felt the room spin as his brain protested the unexpected disorientation. He stumbled a little and might have fallen if someone hadn't caught him. He flushed with embarrassment and was already offering both his thanks and an apology before he even lifted his head to see who had assisted him. You could have knocked him over with a feather when he recognized the person next to him as Nijimura Shuzo, former captain of Rakuzan's middle school basketball team.

"Nijimura-san, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Kuroko-kun."

Kuroko was genuinely surprised to see the former captain. They had both played for Rakuzan but since Kuroko was a year younger and less skilled than the other athlete, they hadn't interacted a great deal during Kuroko's tenure on the team. Nijimura himself had left the team after a year's captaincy on the middle school team, turning the role over to Akashi and serving as a substitute player for a year. He'd seemed to disappear altogether shortly after that, Kuroko had heard gossip to the effect his father was ill and he'd transferred to another school to be closer to the hospital where his father was receiving treatment.

The black haired teen briefly observed Kuroko, noting he was still difficult to read. "I just transferred back to Rakuzan. My father has finally recovered and so I wanted to come back to finish my education here, it's a much stronger school than my last one. Although I can't play on the school's basketball team because I transferred so late in the year, I did join a street ball league, so I'm using the gym to train for that."

Kuroko nodded, "Welcome back, Nijimura-san. I am glad to hear that your father has improved. I know that was a painful time for you and your family." He hesitated before realizing it didn't hurt to answer the earlier question, "I'm trying to improve my stamina, so I thought I'd use this room for exercise."

Nijimura was startled by this response, "Did you rejoin the basketball team? Or pick something else? I remember you left after only a year or two; in all honesty I wouldn't have expected you to take it back up."

"I am playing basketball again, but I'm not on the Rakuzan team. I'm a guest player for Seirin, a high school in Tokyo."

Although it wasn't intentional, Nijimura was helpless to prevent the look of absolute disbelief that crossed his face at those words. "You're…a guest player…?"

Kuroko acknowledged the other's surprise with a self-deprecating shrug. "It's a long story, but yes. I usually commute after school to train with them but I was injured yesterday so I've been banned from travel for a few days. I thought I would come here today to get in some training."

There was a strained pause as Nijimura tried to reconcile what he knew about Kuroko with the idea that he would be valuable enough to be an asset to another team. Finally he decided to leave it alone and ask something else that was on his mind, "Were you using martial arts in that program just now? I study karate and some of what you were doing looked familiar, although the style is different."

"Yes, I took up martial arts for a while after I left the basketball team. My coach and I designed this program to use on days when I couldn't make it to the team practice to make sure I could still be productive. It's a hybrid style since my skills are so specialized."

Nijimura's eyes flickered with curiosity. "Would you be interested in a brief sparring match? Nothing extensive since you're injured, just the first to five points, but I'd like to see what you can do. Since there are so few people here we don't have to worry about bothering anyone."

Kuroko considered the offer for a moment before agreeing. He didn't have anything to lose even if he was thoroughly trounced. He knew his limits but exercise was exercise and there was the irreplaceable element of having an actual opponent that amped up the effectiveness compared with solitary efforts.

They rearranged some of the nearby equipment to clear the space and after wishing each other luck, they took up their preferred stances. There was no immediate move from either participant as they observed the body balance and potential striking range that would be most logical for the other to advance. Nijimura was aware that as the taller of the two, he had longer limbs and a slight advantage because of it, but he was not so arrogant to discount the unexpected power he'd seen in the other teen's movements before his stumble; he knew Kuroko was capable of surprising him. For his part, Kuroko knew Nijimura to be a strong tactician and unless much had changed from his time on the basketball team, he was fast and powerful.

What followed surprised both of them. Neither Kuroko nor Nijimura were able to maintain a clear lead over the other. Kuroko was somehow combining his misdirection with his movements, making him extremely difficult to keep track of even in this small space. If Nijimura hadn't possessed the instincts and skills that had allowed him to stay in command of the Generation of Miracles for as long as he had, there was a possibility he might not have been able to score points at all; let alone evade the ones taken by his opponent. Kuroko meanwhile was relying on his experience of being the smaller combatant, but he was forced to admit that in the end what would be his downfall would likely be his inability to maintain the pace set by Nijimura's stronger conditioning.

It ended when Nijimura was able to obtain his fifth point, but he immediately and sincerely congratulated Kuroko on his skill. Kuroko was gratified and returned the compliment with equal appreciation. They both grabbed their drinks; the match had proved unexpectedly taxing. Nijimura eyed Kuroko thoughtfully before he began speaking, "You've improved since elementary school. I remember you were determined, but you had almost no coordination then. I suppose time is one factor there, but your participation for another school's got me curious. Want to tell me about it?"

And so in this way, the former captain of the Generation of Miracles was apprised of the events since his absence. He listened to Kuroko and asked questions in places that indicated his familiarity with the players and their habits – he was, in some ways, a better audience than Kuroko could have anticipated. When Kuroko finished, Nijimura considered the information thoughtfully as he idly toyed with his water bottle.

Finally he asked the question Kuroko didn't know he'd been waiting to hear, "Can I help in some way? Rakuzan was never a buddy-buddy team, but they were my responsibility for a short time; I still care about their well-being. This seems like a pretty heavy burden Kuroko-kun, and while I don't think you're wrong, I'm not sure you can do this by yourself."

Kuroko blinked away the unexpected threat of tears. "Thank you, Nijimura-san. I'm not alone, not really, but maybe we can train together sometime? And…if you're free, would you like to watch Rakuzan's first Inter High match with me? It's tomorrow afternoon, if you're interested."

-Rakuzan's First Inter High Game-

Kagami was looking forward to this match; he'd been hyped up ever since watching Kuroko's game a few days ago and he could barely sleep he was so excited. His bloodshot eyes, the result of his sleeplessness, leant him a more sinister appearance than usual. As the Rakuzan team assembled in the locker room, he noted that everyone seemed unnaturally calm. He was surprised since this was their first appearance in the tournament; he'd expected more enthusiasm. But he rationalized that they were all experienced players and their opponent was not a particularly high ranking school, it was expected that Rakuzan would win their first preliminary match without difficulty.

The coach went over some last minute instructions; the gist of which seemed to be check in with Akashi if there were any unanticipated problems. The starting lineup was, unsurprisingly, the Generation of Miracles, despite Aomine's protest that he wasn't needed to defeat this team, and Murasakibara's complaint that this seemed too troublesome. Rakuzan's administration had long ago ordered that each member of the Generation of the Miracles must play in every game unless they were ill or injured. They were something of a signature statement that alluded to the overwhelming dominance and long-standing tradition of excellence enjoyed by the school.

As they took to the court to line up with the other team, Kagami caught a glimpse of Kuroko's blue hair in the stands before he took his place on the bench. He was glad Kuroko had made it. Midorima followed Kagami's gaze and saw Kuroko as well, but he frowned when he took in the person seated next to him. He turned to Akashi, but the captain discouraged any comment with a shake of his head; it seemed he was already aware of Nijimura's presence. Midorima had the distinct impression that Akashi would ensure they played to an even higher standard today in light of the fact their former captain was there to observe, not to mention Kuroko's presence of course. It didn't really change anything for Midorima, he always played to his best and did everything possible to procure victory, but the aura surrounding Akashi was coldly calculating.

Akashi's fathomless gaze took the measure of his opponents as they lined up. They had tried to brace themselves for the coming storm, but it was comparable to hoping an umbrella would keep you dry in a hurricane. Internally he sighed, this would not be interesting. Well, not in the usual way of course. He was amused that Tetsuya was sitting with Shuzo; he idly considered how both of them advocated for not holding back, yet their intentions with that philosophy were entirely different. In this game he would be following the directive of his former captain; there was no room for mercy here. As a matter of fact, he'd just become inspired as to today's contest for the other members of the Generation of Miracles. He smiled slightly to himself, scaring the opposing team as they saw it.

As they broke from the lineup Akashi quietly summoned his team together for a last minute huddle, giving the numbers for both Rakuzan's target goal and the number for their opponents to cap out with. They frowned at this and asked why those specific numbers. Akashi quickly explained and they understood the contest along with the implications. As they broke apart and assumed their positions for the tip off, Kuroko straightened in his seat when he saw the predatory expressions on their faces. He had no doubt but that Akashi had issued some form of challenge during that huddle.

At the tip off Murasakibara easily claimed the ball for Rakuzan. He passed it to Akashi and began moving toward Rakuzan's basket for defense. As Akashi was approached by the opposition's point guard, he met the other's eyes and almost as an afterthought sent the ball to Midorima, who took his cue and executed a swift three pointer. As the other team tried to regroup for their counterattack, Kise was already swooping toward the inside to change possession.

Kuroko couldn't shake his sense of unease as he watched the match. At first the game progressed smoothly; Rakuzan took the lead and held it, but the other team was managing to score at least infrequently. The intensity with which the Generation of Miracles kept their eyes on the board and the absurd errors that occurred without repercussion from their exacting captain reinforced Kuroko's suspicion that something was definitely wrong. And then once they'd reached 24 points, suddenly the other team could no longer score, and they didn't even manage to touch the ball very often after that.

At half time Aomine was subbed out for Kagami, who took to the court with all the pent up excitement he'd been saving for what seemed like years and launched full force into the competition. Out of Kagami's hearing, Akashi uttered a follow up to his earlier edict about the score to the others on the court. They shrugged but agreed, it didn't really matter at this point.

Up in the stands Nijimura took note of the change in lineup. "That's your friend, Kagami-kun, right? The one they subbed in for Aomine?"

Kuroko nodded. "Yes. He's like them in some ways, he's very strong."

It ended per Akashi's instructions at 126 to 24 in favor of Rakuzan. The game concluded with a ferocious dunk from Kagami; his intensity had gone full throttle through the entire third and fourth quarters despite the other team's inability to truly counter his attacks. There was no doubt he was playing with the intent to win but his presence on the court was magnetic, rather than the cool fascination that drew the audience's attention toward the others.

"There's something wrong with this score. I…can't quite tell what it is yet. Those numbers are off for some reason."

Nijimura looked more closely before his mouth tightened. "I can guess what the 24 is; wasn't your number in elementary school 15? Mine was 9 in middle school, after I stepped down as captain. If you combine them, that's the 24."

Kuroko drew in a shaky breath. "And the 126 is what is needed to get to 150, which is ten times higher than my uniform number." It was a particularly cruel gauntlet being thrown down, both by implication in the skill difference as well as using another team's tournament experience to deliver it. His eyes unhappily went to the court and he was unsurprised to see Akashi waiting for him to look. The redhead quirked an eyebrow in question; he was wondering if Kuroko had received the message. Kuroko nodded to the other, he definitely understood.

Blue eyes wandered over the other players. Murasakibara looked like he'd already forgotten the game; he was reaching into his bag, presumably for another snack. Aomine was impassive; he merely stretched his arms and began packing up his stuff. Midorima was hard to read, he had done his job but that was all he cared about. Kise was congratulating Kagami on his efforts, before he also looked up to meet Kuroko's eyes. There was a sly playfulness there; he was proud of what they had done and didn't care if Kuroko disapproved; rather he was expecting an acknowledgment of their cleverness.

After Kise turned away from Kagami, Akashi stopped the taller redhead for a moment to tell him something. He looked puzzled but nodded. Kuroko had a sneaking suspicion that Akashi had given the oblivious Kagami another message to deliver to Kuroko. It would have to wait a while; the post-game meeting would take at least half an hour which would be on top of the time for the athletes to clean up and change as desired.

Nijimura sighed heavily. "I didn't think you were exaggerating yesterday, Kuroko, but it seems so much worse in person. I feel in some ways this is my fault. I instilled a dislike of going easy on anything in them, and perhaps this is a corruption of the injunction to never forget one's resolution. It seems Akashi has taken that mandate and run with it far beyond my expectations."

Kuroko shook his head in denial. "No, Nijimura-san. What they did here was not merely to avoid taking it easy on their opponents. You saw those fumbles that allowed those points to go through; can you honestly imagine any of them doing that if they were playing their best? Maybe once, but certainly not to the degree we saw today. This was a declaration of war."

Both of the former Rakuzan players stood to leave, and Kuroko was thankful for the small mercy that at least this team didn't know their score had been deliberately manipulated. It was less obvious than the championship game last year with the matching points, but it was more vicious for the personal vendetta attached to it. They made their way to the lobby, navigating through the crowds and catching snippets of conversation as the spectators discussed the various games they had watched.

Kuroko's phone beeped an alert and he extracted it from his bag to glance at the screen. It was a text from Kagami-kun, who asked if Kuroko was free to catch dinner after the Rakuzan meeting was finished. There was a rather revealing postscript that indicated his friend was welcome to join them. Kuroko knew Akashi had probably mentioned Nijimura, but he wasn't sure of the context. Kuroko relayed the invitation to his companion, who shrugged and accepted. Kuroko replied with their acceptance and the two settled down to wait. They were each absorbed in their own thoughts and the small bubble of quiet surrounding them in the otherwise busy lobby was a welcome retreat.

About forty-five minutes later, Kuroko heard his name being called and looked up to see Kagami surrounded by the Generation of Miracles. He reflexively tensed and suddenly got a bad feeling. He looked at Nijimura, who noticeably shared his apprehension. They both stood and there was a sense of strained silence for a moment that Kagami clearly did not pick up on as he began excitedly talking about the game, but he was interrupted by Akashi's velvet-in-steel tones.

"Taiga, we have a guest, if you hadn't noticed. Let's observe the niceties and mind our manners before we talk shop, please. Allow me to make known to you Nijimura Shuzo. Shuzo was our captain for a year during junior high. We owe much to his leadership and vision. Shuzo, this is Kagami Taiga, he just joined us in January. We're placing a lot of effort in his training, and he shows promise."

Kagami flushed slightly in embarrassment but genially acknowledged the introduction which Nijimura returned, smiling slightly at the tall redhead's enthusiasm. After a few minutes of idle small talk a curious gleam appeared in Akashi's shrewd eyes. Kuroko would later label it as unholy amusement.

"I'm sure the three of you are ready to eat by now and we've had the poor taste to keep you waiting when you had plans. Would you mind terribly if the rest of us accompanied you? We worked up rather a noticeable appetite ourselves during the game. And we have so much to catch up with, Shuzo. It would be a shame to miss such an opportunity."

Kuroko didn't even need to meet Nijimura's eyes to know that he felt the trap tightening around them just as clearly as Kuroko did. They agreed, what reasonable alternative did they have? They couldn't claim exclusivity on the basis of old friendships, as Kagami didn't know Nijimura. They couldn't say it was only about basketball, as it was a shared interest. They certainly couldn't back out of it. They could only resign themselves to a sense of uneasy anticipation with the hope they'd come out relatively unscathed.

They made a party of eight and soon arrived at a casual restaurant not too far from the competition's location. It was the kind of place that had a little of everything and did none of it particularly well, but you wouldn't leave hungry at least. They ended up with an interesting seating arrangement as the hostess had given them a circular booth. Kuroko was fairly in the middle, flanked on the left by Kagami, Nijimura, and Aomine. Murasakibara sat to his right, with Akashi, Midorima, and Kise filling out the other side. Nobody was terribly surprised when Kuroko was initially skipped by the server that came to take their orders. Almost everyone was staggered when it was Akashi's coolly polite voice that drew the server's attention back to Kuroko rather than proceeding directly to Murasakibara after noting Kagami's choices. Her voice was flustered but she immediately offered her apologies and Kuroko gave his selection after assuring her it was no problem.

The silence that descended after she left was awkward. Akashi had a half smile on his face as he waited to see who would be the first to break it. He supposed it was fitting that Shuzo, another natural leader, gamely broached a topic by asking Kise how his modelling was going. Kise had come late to the team but he'd been well known on campus for his glamorous career and the ex-captain had heard of him before he'd met the blond.

"Ah, well, it's amusing, I suppose. It's so different from basketball. I feel like it is more my hobby even though it is my job. It's going well though, I have a shoot scheduled to advertise a hot springs resort soon and my manager is excited about the cross-over potential between the various media outlets."

Kuroko's quiet interjection was unexpected. "But Kise-kun, even if it is a hobby, it shows your talent in another way, doesn't it? You learn quickly, that's why you gain proficiency over new moves in basketball, and it's the same as when you model, right? You can adapt to what they want from you?"

If Kise hadn't been looking directly at Kuroko when these words came out of the other's mouth he never would have believed it. "Why Kurokocchi, are you a fan? I never knew!"

His reply was instant and completely flat. "Absolutely not, Kise-kun. I've never seen your modelling work but you and I share a talent in one way; we're both good at observing people. You're aggravating, but you're not nearly as lazy as you'd like everyone to think. You'd have stopped long ago if that were the case."

"How do you say these things with such a straight face Kuroko? You're so embarrassing sometimes." Kagami's voice was filled with disgruntlement but he was also amused at seeing the slight blush that decorated Kise's cheeks.

"It's not intentional; I just have no sense of humor, Kagami-kun." A series of agreements was heard around the table in response, but Kuroko took no offense. He couldn't help it after all.

"When did you start calling him 'Kurokocchi'?" Midorima's question drew several curious eyes toward both Kise and Kuroko as they realized the change being pointed out.

Kise shrugged. "Right before the four of you found us at the street court the other day. You should have seen him – all bandaged up from his injury and challenging some assholes that were causing trouble. Of course he didn't even wait for Kagamicchi or me, we just suddenly noticed he wasn't there and had to go charging over to help. It was a fun game though; they didn't know what hit them!"

Akashi eyed Tetsuya with amusement. That definitely seemed in character for the reckless idealist that had become so troublesome recently. Akashi's own memento of Kuroko's willingness to correct what he consider injustices had only recently faded, so the redhead was not really surprised that Tetsuya wouldn't exercise more caution simply because he himself had been injured at the time. He could be such an idiot.

"You mentioned you were injured, it happened during a game?" This came from Nijimura, the only one that hadn't been present at the Seirin-Shinkyo match.

Kuroko's answer was calm and meant to minimize the entire incident. "Yes, I was accidentally hit. I had to sit out for a while because I was dizzy and bled a little, but I was able to play again by the end of it. My injury wasn't a big deal, it just looked worse because I collapsed. The doctor gave me the all clear, just saying I needed to rest for a few days."

Akashi's voice held a mellow purr that put Kuroko instantly on guard. "Tetsuya was quite the dashing hero that day it seems; injured in battle, yet rallying to aid his team and emerging victorious. Then later taking to the streets with a vigilante form of basketball justice. It is inspirational, really." There was an edgy silence as they all took in the heightened level of Akashi's intensity that belied the presumed compliment of the words.

In response to the danger they all sensed from Akashi's comments, a frenzied flurry of conversation erupted to break the tension. By some unspoken agreement, they all avoided the subject of that afternoon's game. They commiserated over classes and homework, some exchanges of preferences regarding music and movies were heard, it would have looked like any happy gathering of friends to the casual observer. That quickly went downhill as Aomine and Kise got into an argument about their respective idols and it looked as if they were going to violently lunge across the table at one another before Akashi quietly rebuked them and instantly they settled down into their seats. The conversation stayed lively after that but it was more carefully conducted and even Akashi participated intermittently, although he mostly just observed and sipped his tea while watching them.

A brief break in their chatter resulted as plates were being distributed along with the appetizers that had been selected by several members of the group. There was the usual chaotic shuffling as the hungry athletes eyed what others had chosen and a few trades were conducted. Kuroko declined when he was offered samples of various items; he didn't have a big appetite and his meal would be more than enough for him. It was truly impressive to consider the speed with which the first round was demolished, but with the combined efforts of Aomine, Kagami, and Murasakibara, there was barely a stray crumb to be seen as the others had to hastily claim their rightful portions before they were filched by the ravenous teens.

It wasn't until they heard the squeaking of poorly-oiled wheels that they realized the potential disaster inherent with this many big eaters all at the same table. There were no fewer than three carts being awkwardly wheeled toward them and each was positively laden with dishes reflecting the range of tastes and appetites of the various members of their party. Suddenly even their large table looked inadequate to handle the task at hand.

By some feat of wait staff sorcery, all the plates from the carts were able to be accommodated. It was best not to speculate on exactly how that was accomplished, and it may have turned out there were a few semi-accidental omissions that were brought out later as other plates were cleared. There was a scary moment when Murasakibara's squid ink pasta turned out to be one of the forgotten dishes, but it was quickly remedied and the purple haired teen was mollified.

Gradually the talk returned to basketball, as inevitably it must given the company assembled. Nijimura was asked about his time after leaving Rakuzan and he provided a cursory account that sketched his father's illness and recovery and his decision to play in street ball leagues since he couldn't make the official commitment to a school team.

Aomine and Kagami both perked up at the mention of the street ball games, for different reasons. Aomine knew he was stronger than Nijimura now, but he remembered his former captain as a solid player. It might provide some entertainment to take him on in a game and street ball allowed him even greater freedom to test his strength. Kagami didn't see a lot of street ball in Japan but missed it from his days in America so he thought this was a good sign for Japanese basketball culture.

"Speaking of changes, is Haizaki still skipping games? I was surprised not to see him play today." Nijimura's question was simple curiosity, but he would have kept his mouth shut if he'd known the reaction it would cause.

"Shogo left quite recently after we had a discussion about his commitment to the team. He decided he had other interests to pursue. Funnily enough, Tetsuya was the catalyst for his departure." Akashi's response was presumably innocent, but Kuroko was not alone in picking up on the provocative undertone.

"Eh? What did Tetsu have to do with it?" Aomine's question was well-founded but as it was delivered with his mouth half full of a teriyaki burger, it was difficult to understand.

Despite knowing perfectly well what was being asked, Akashi didn't answer, he merely looked at Kuroko with a challenging expression on his face as if to dare the other to respond. Kuroko hesitated briefly before answering, he couldn't quite see where Akashi was headed with this attack but he knew one was coming.

"Akashi-kun and I had a discussion about Haizaki-kun's tendency to steal the abilities of his teammates when he was sent to assist with second and third string games. Anything that happened after that was without my knowledge."

Midorima frowned. "Surely he wouldn't be so reckless. Maintaining Rakuzan's perfect record is the driving force at every level of the club."

"Zakichin was bored. He told me he'd thought of a way to make the games more fun, I guess that was it." Murasakibara's contribution was provided in an unconcerned drawl, he clearly wasn't bothered by the situation to any degree whatsoever.

"That sounds like him, not that it matters since he quit. But honestly I can understand. It has gotten so easy to win; sometimes you have to add a little challenge to keep it interesting." Kise's endorsement was shared by Aomine who shrugged and nodded in response.

Kuroko's jaw clenched, he was furious, but it was hardly the time or place to rehash this quarrel.

Akashi's next comment suggested he was aware of Kuroko's frustration even though it was directed to Nijimura. "I was surprised to see the two of you together at the game today. I didn't realize that you and Tetsuya were so close, Shuzo. I must admit I'm curious if our performance met your expectations?"

Nijimura's forehead creased in response to this question; like Kuroko, he was aware that Akashi was leading them toward a goal but he couldn't see it yet either. "Kuroko and I met in the training gym yesterday by chance and he invited me to the game today. We know one another from elementary school, when we both briefly played on the team. As for today's game, it was certainly an impressive display of your strength."

Kise's eyes regained their playful gleam from earlier as he rushed ahead in the leading conversation. "Did you notice the score?"

Nijimura and Kuroko both looked at the blond. Kuroko answered evasively, "It was clear that Akashi-kun's decisive leadership was reflected in the final score. The memory of everyone's performance today will stay with me for a long time."

Kagami, the only one that was unaware there was an actual meaning in the final numbers, took this opportunity to interrupt excitedly, "We were definitely on a roll today. It was a good way to start the tournament."

"Your assessment is a worthy one, Taiga. And it is critically important to begin as you mean to carry on, I'm sure we'd all agree on that. Did Satsuki provide your game total? It was a strong performance if I'm not mistaken." Akashi's reply carried hints of a dark humor that easily went over the more straightforward teen's head.

"Yeah, she told me I scored thirty points. Everyone had the ball a lot today so we all met and exceeded our quotas, we did well."

Kuroko suddenly comprehended what Akashi was doing and his eyes flew to meet the heterochromatic gaze in horror. Akashi's expression was beatifically calm, he was fully in control of the moment and he knew it.

Inwardly Kuroko hissed. That was unquestionably another victory for Akashi. It was twice Kuroko's jersey number from elementary school and roughly a quarter of Rakuzan's total points. Enough that it was a sizable contribution, but plainly indicating even Kagami's talents weren't necessary for the total conquest Akashi could dish out as he saw fit. Kuroko understood it was also most likely deliberate that Akashi had passed Kagami the final ball so the last two points would be his.

Their server appeared at that moment to ask if anyone wanted dessert. Murasakibara ordered about half of the dessert menu; even his teammates looked askance at his order given what he'd already consumed. Nijimura made a face after glancing at his watch but he merely asked for his check. He gave Kuroko an apologetic look; he didn't like this sense of abandoning the smaller teen, however he had to get home. Kuroko understood; they hadn't intended to stay this late anyway. A few others placed an order but Kuroko was planning to ask for his check as well when he caught Akashi's eyes; the redhead shook his head- a clear denial of Kuroko's objective. He frowned but refrained from causing a scene.

After Nijimura took his leave, they all shuffled slightly to the left to take advantage of the increased elbow room. Midorima pushed his glasses up his nose before commenting, "I'd like to thank you, Kuroko. Your suggestion for incorporating more core-strengthening exercises in my training has proved to be quite beneficial."

"You're welcome, Midorima-kun. I noticed your balance has improved, I am glad it was of use to you." Kuroko's response was even more quiet than usual; he was feeling fragile from what Akashi had done today.

Aomine barked out a laugh. "You were an idiot to make that notebook, Tetsu."

Kagami frowned, "Why would you say that? It's true it's an unusual move, but we were already stronger than Seirin, he didn't give us anything that really changes anything for them. They already know they have to climb up the brackets and if he's shown that amount of skill with improving our training, I don't doubt he's worked on theirs as well. You should be more concerned by Kuroko's agreement to let us use his notebook than by his making it in the first place. If anything it makes me wonder what they have in store for us if we do meet during the tournament."

The reactions to this statement were mixed. Kuroko smiled at his friend, pleased by his defense and understanding. The others were divided between looks of calculated speculation, and utter unconcern.

Kise was unable to resist asking, "Kagamicchi, you do realize that you're being targeted, too, right? In the unlikely event we go down, you're coming with us. Have you thought about what happens if we face each other?"

Kagami looked at the blond as if he'd said something ridiculous, which was not a look that Kise was used to receiving from someone like Kagami. "Kise, you're being stupid. You should already know they're going to come at whoever they face with everything they have. If they do that and manage to beat us, we have to accept it, but if not, I couldn't ask for anything more than opponents that won't back down. I don't know about the rest of Seirin, but I know that Kuroko and Tatsuya at least won't disappoint us in that regard. We'll deal with what happens after that, but I don't see why it should really be an issue. It's just a matter of the next game in this sport."

Murasakibara looked up from one of his desserts at that. "This sport isn't as fair as that, Kagami. It's pointless to think everyone's like Kurochin. We saw it all the time in middle school; most people just give up once they realize how inferior they are. We'll see it more during this tournament, too. Hard work doesn't beat talent. That's why it gets boring. You're just too new, but it'll become obvious soon enough."

Most of the group nodded in agreement. Akashi remained impassive; he was clearly biding his time. But Kuroko's expression conveyed his displeasure with the purple haired teen seated next to him.

"Murasakibara-kun, it is true that hard work doesn't always get rewarded, but you're wrong to think it never does. The world isn't split so cleanly into prodigies and failures." The fierce anger in Kuroko's reply was impossible to miss.

"You're naïve. If someone else doesn't prove it to you, we will in the tournament. If it comes to that, today will seem like a friendly hello. I've told you before; I won't hesitate to crush even you, Kurochin."

Kagami looked puzzled. "Of course nobody will hesitate to compete, that's not what any of us are looking for, is it? So what did you mean about today's game?"

Aomine scoffed humorlessly. "It was an inside joke between us. Don't worry about it."

The tall redhead looked confused, what was he missing? He looked around the table but couldn't gather clues from anyone's expression.

Finally Akashi smiled. It was not kind. "Tetsuya? Would you like to enlighten Taiga so he can understand why your battle is so hopelessly mismatched?"

Kise realized a golden opportunity when he saw one and at Kuroko's headshake of denial he was eager to share the fun. "The score was in honor of Kurokocchi and Nijimura of course!" The blond explained the significance of the points and their relationship to the aforementioned parties' jersey numbers with no small degree of pride. "Akashicchi planned it and told us during that huddle after the first line up. Wasn't that clever, Kagamicchi? He even calculated how many points he wanted you to score and made sure you'd get the last ball so that it would add something for everyone."

The incredulous laugh that escaped Kagami at Kise's explanation was abruptly cut off as he realized the blond wasn't joking. His eyes widened before his expression fell with visible disillusionment. His brain quickly flipped back to all the hints and sly comments that had been exchanged between his teammates, Kuroko, and Nijimura that afternoon. New significance was added and he felt a crushing weight settle over him in recognition of what had happened.

Akashi's voice was quiet as he directed his next comment to Kagami. "It is time you understand, Taiga. Victory is absolute for us. So on occasion, extra motivation is needed to inspire everyone's performance. We aren't playing just for fun and nobody will give less than their quota, but the talents of our team are different. In case it is not clear, this is a moment of truth of sorts. Tetsuya has made his choice, you know our position, what you chose to do with this information is up to you. You needn't decide immediately, but I expect absolute loyalty and obedience from my players so if you are remaining on the team, knowing what you do, you'll have to accept these policies."

Kuroko spoke up next, "Akashi-kun, I don't know why you decided to force this to a head today, but you're underestimating Kagami-kun. We all play for different reasons and Rakuzan doesn't rely on teamwork anyway. He doesn't have to choose Rakuzan or his love for the game."

Red and gold eyes met blue as Akashi replied to Kuroko, "Perhaps not, Tetsuya. But as I keep encountering the unexpected from you, I am ensuring control over the players in my domain."

Any sense of tentative comradery shared by the group before the revelation about the game had now noticeably dissipated. As if she'd guessed the sudden flatness at the table signaled the end, their waitress brought their bills as unobtrusively as possible. Each person settled up and the mood was on the whole quite somber. As luck would have it, the others exited the booth first, leaving Kuroko and Kagami there.

Akashi turned back and offered a last comment before he departed, "Tetsuya, now that we've both made our opening moves, I want to reiterate what I told you the other day. Don't disappoint me."

Unlike the previous encounter, the others did not stop to offer parting comments as they left. Midorima only nodded at them, Aomine yawned, Kise waved and grinned unrepentantly, and Murasakibara just met their eyes briefly before leaving.

"Kagami-kun, do you have a minute?"

The tall redhead still looked quite shell shocked but managed to meet Kuroko's eyes. "Eh?"

"Let's take a walk."

Kagami silently assented and they left the restaurant without a particular destination in mind. The conversation that followed was long, taxing, and difficult for both of them. Neither left happy when it was over. But they mutually agreed that a person's choices were their own. All that remained was to deal with the consequences as best they could.

When Kuroko returned home, he sent messages to Riko and Himuro. They responded quickly and acknowledged Kuroko's concerns with respective promises to discuss it further in person when Kuroko could rejoin the team's practices in Tokyo.

A few minutes later Kuroko's phone buzzed with a message alert, it was from an unknown number. The content of the message was brief but left little doubt as to the sender. "Your move, Tetsuya."

He thought a moment before he replied, "I think it is fairer to say we are both always moving, Akashi-kun. We have more than one game at stake after all. Your manipulations this afternoon definitely shook up some of the pieces, but I'm not promoting or dropping anything yet."

The phone lit up almost instantly, "I wouldn't expect anything else from you, although I am glad you appreciate the effort involved in those arrangements. Good night, Tetsuya."

"Good night, Akashi-kun. And good luck to us both."

There was no reply and Kuroko stayed awake for a long time as he thought about his next move. He hadn't been lying- he understood they were both playing deep games here with multiple levels of strategy. Akashi had several advantages in this arena, but Kuroko hadn't come this far to give up so easily. He knew one thing though, Kagami-kun's decision would add an extra complication he hadn't factored into his original plans and he had to proceed with more caution from this point on.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

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Seirin rose steadily through the Inter High bracket, as naturally, did Rakuzan. Akashi sent Kuroko a congratulatory message after each game – he was indeed keeping tabs on their progress, but they rarely saw each other after the meal they'd all shared. Kagami and Kuroko kept their distance from one another as well, at least at first. They were still feeling out the new parameters of their friendship following Kagami's reaction to Akashi's ultimatum.

On the day of Seirin's last match before they would qualify for the semi-finals, Kuroko was even quieter than usual. He wasn't exactly upset, but he was pensive, and it worried his teammates. This match was critical, they would face Kirisaki Daiichi, and all of them were aware of the dirty tactics that team used to win matches. Hyuga was tense as well; he had a grudge against this team for what they had done to Teppei last year. The center had only recently been able to rejoin the team, and his presence had strengthened their performances considerably. With the additional reinforcements offered by Himuro and Kuroko, Seirin was feeling stronger than they had so far this season. But the atmosphere today was heavy and they didn't feel like themselves.

There were several notable spectators in the stands. Nijimura had come, he was cautiously optimistic that Kuroko's team might advance. He and Kuroko had met occasionally since their unexpected reunion to train, spar, and talk. They'd formed a bond that was something less than a close friendship, but more than work-out partners. If Nijimura had really thought about it, he might deem Kuroko somewhat like a younger brother that had only recently become interesting. Kuroko might have expressed a similar, if reversed, sentiment – he respected the older student tremendously but there was still a significant degree of distance between them.

While they hadn't planned it, and so weren't sitting together as they'd been for the Seirin-Shinkyo game, each member of the Kiseki no Sedai and Kagami had also showed up to watch this match. They were all interested, for various reasons, and it was with no small degree of anticipation they awaited the outcome. If Seirin won this match, they only had to win one more game before they'd take on Rakuzan, who had already secured their spot in the semi-finals. Their gazes were fixed on the players on the court, already seeing improvement from the prior match which they attributed to the addition of the strong center. They recognized Kiyoshi as one of the Uncrowned Kings, and to see the match up with Hanamiya, another strong, if unpleasant, player, promised to be interesting.

The warm up was quiet, their energy was coolly focused. The tip off went to Seirin and their careful pacing looked different from the normal run-and-gun techniques they favored, but they were gaining the measure of the other team. Hanamiya's mocking smile stayed in place as Seirin scored and then blocked the attempted counterattack from his team. His expression seemed to say that Seirin's strong start was by his design rather than their own efforts.

Hyuga took a while to settle down before he was able to manage his three-pointers. When he finally found a rhythm, the team as a whole seemed to relax and Kuroko was benched to conserve his strength. Unfortunately, this seemed to be what Kirisaki Daiichi was waiting for, and the tone of the game immediately changed.

Teppei was naturally their first target, as the team's emotional investment in his recovery meant everyone was on higher alert. Yamazaki and Matsumoto, the shooting guard and center for Kirisaki Daiichi, wasted no time delivering punishing blows that were screened in turns by Hara and Furuhashi. After a particularly brutal fall, Riko pulled Teppei out of the game despite his adamant protest that he was fine. She flatly overrode him, saying his job at that moment was to recover as best he could for later in the game.

Kuroko came back in and he and Himuro exchanged a grim look as they took stock of the team. Seirin's close bonds came with a price – everyone was thrown by worry and anger on Kiyoshi's behalf. Even they, the most reserved members of the team, could not claim to be disaffected. They continued to battle fiercely; it was clear to most that were watching that both Kuroko and Himuro were being closely marked and although the referee never saw it, there were several moments when the duo became the focus of Kirisaki Daiichi's punishing tactics. However, through sheer force of will, the two of them kept Seirin in the game despite Hanamiya's machinations.

The Kirisaki Daiichi captain had been expecting this to a degree. When he'd observed Seirin's matches through videos and in person, he'd noted the influence these two had wielded for both team morale and attacking power. But Hanamiya was more than merely a vicious player; he was also an intelligent one. He called for Seto to replace Matsumoto and thoughtfully considered what should happen next. As he heard the other team cheering, he was struck by an especially gratifying thought of how to proceed and quietly conferred with his team. Their smiles were chillingly eager.

Hara took to marking Himuro while Furuhashi watched Kuroko. At first the Seirin pair was still able to continue their attack patterns, but soon Hanamiya's plans were in place and it became difficult to make contact with the ball due to Hanamiya's steals. Riko called for a time out to give them a minute to regroup and Kuroko's voice was heard offering a hurriedly constructed plan. They all agreed, and returned to the court with renewed determination.

Kuroko began intercepting his teammates' passes before Hanamiya could steal them, and using his continual observation to maintain awareness of their locations, he redirected the ball to other players in better positions. It helped them advance the score as Hanamiya couldn't predict what Seirin themselves didn't know was coming.

However, Hanamiya merely smiled, this was nothing he couldn't work around. At a peculiar moment, when Kuroko was separated from his partner and couldn't warn him, Hara and Yamazaki came up alongside Himuro and taking advantage of the teen's blindspot, brutally took him down while the referee was distracted. What followed looked like the Kirisaki Daiichi players simply tripped over Himuro, but it was in fact an excuse to trample the fallen teen –leaving him severely injured. The game was stopped for a referee timeout but Himuro couldn't stand up. Himuro's bangs fell away from his face and his eyes looked unfocused; his pale skin was already showing bruising in several places. Medical staffers immediately began preparing him for transport to the local hospital, it was abundantly clear he would not be playing again that day.

The Kirisaki Daiichi captain came up beside Kuroko and softly murmured an apology that sounded anything but sincere. He followed it up with, "I'm just curious, but are you the Tet or the Tat in that obnoxious cheer they've been saying on the bench? It was just so annoying; I had to make it stop. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. You're both garbage now, or will be soon enough."

He grinned at Kuroko's stricken expression and moved away. It was too much of a trigger for Kuroko, this sense of frustration and helplessness that rose up from someone he cared about being injured, it seemed to take over his entire being and he was drowning in it. He felt outside of himself and while Kuroko knew the stadium was noisy, crowded, and frantic, he couldn't hear anything and it felt as if he were alone in the world. Himuro and Hoshi blended together in his mind; Teppei's bruised and battered form seemed to float in front of him, he saw everything he and the others had worked so hard for slipping away, and before he even knew what happened he'd started to move forward to attack the Kirisaki Daiichi player. Izuki managed to grab his shoulder and forcibly move him back, but he was shocked by the look of devastated rage on Kuroko's face. He'd never seen the phantom player have such a naked expression before and it clued him in that something was wrong beyond the injury itself.

Seirin continued to fight, but with Teppei and Himuro both out of commission and emotions riding high, they fell apart and the score steadily grew in favor of Kirisaki Daiichi. Hanamiya smiled for the entire remainder of the game as his team continued dishing out injuries to both bodies and pride. His final move occurred with two seconds left in the game. He struck by elbowing Kuroko savagely across the face, sending the smaller teen spiraling into unconsciousness. Kuroko didn't even feel the captain's charge over his body, nor did he hear the referee call the game over as the final buzzer sounded and he fell to the floor, or even the horrified gasps from his teammates. He certainly didn't see the expressions of the seven people that had come to watch him play.

_-At the Hospital-_

Kuroko awoke to the steady beeps and drips of hospital machines. His vision was a little blurry and he felt hellishly sore. Everywhere. He tried to look around, and saw the curtain was drawn around his bed, which meant he was sharing the room with someone. He didn't feel like he even had the energy to call out so he just lay there and tried to assess his condition. He tentatively wiggled his toes, and began working up, seeing what he could move and how painful it might be. That quickly proved to be a massively poor idea. His heart rate monitor promptly summoned an attendant after an especially notable spike was registered when he tried to flex his knee.

A smiling, but brisk, nurse arrived and after checking his overall condition and adjusting his medicine drip, asked if he felt up to visitors. Kuroko nodded and she went to get them. Riko, Hyuga, and Teppei entered and looked at him anxiously.

"How do you feel, Kuroko-kun?" Riko's scan was inconclusive; too much of his body was covered from the blanket and his clothing, but she could see numerous injuries despite those barriers.

"I've been better." His response, so dryly understated, reassured them that he was probably not as bad as he looked. But he wasn't done yet, and his voice caught on the threat of tears as he tried to apologize. "Hyuga-senpai, Kiyoshi-senpai, Riko-san, I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough after what I promised everyone."

Hyuga glared at him. "Don't be stupid. You did everything you could. Nobody blames you."

Kiyoshi seconded this sentiment as he offered one of his warm smiles to his teammate. "Kuroko, don't tell me you've been lying to everyone all this time and really feel the same as those you're trying to change? Is it really because of you we lost? Didn't we fight as a team, even if we were defeated?"

Kuroko nodded in acknowledgment of their words, "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm not thinking clearly."

Riko chimed in, "You're lucky you're already injured or I might just put you in another Boston crab hold for that kind of talk."

"Speaking of injures, the doctors say you'll have to stay here for a few days for observation, but that you should be fine – just really sore for a while. Apparently you ducked just enough that Hanamiya didn't manage to hurt you even more. They expect that you should be able to go home on Sunday. We called your parents but they didn't answer and we didn't want to break the news in a voicemail." Kiyoshi's commentary held an implied question as to whether Kuroko wanted them to try again.

Kuroko shrugged, "I'll call them later. They're difficult to catch between work commitments and travel, and if I'm going to be released so soon, there's no point in worrying them." This reminded him of his partner so he asked, "Is there news about Himuro-san?"

Their expressions collectively fell and they exchanged glances before reaching a silent accord. Riko pulled back the curtain that blocked their view and it showed Himuro lying still in the other bed.

"They aren't sure yet as to the extent of the damage. He's asleep from a combination of painkillers and exhaustion, and he's expected to wake up soon. But he's not going to be in any condition to play for a while. His family is flying in and his mother was strongly suggesting he return to America when he'd recovered enough to travel. We don't know yet what will happen." Riko's voice was quiet but the unspoken worry was clearly heard.

Kuroko's eyes clenched tightly, but he opened them quickly as he thought of something. "Would you hand me a phone, please? I need to call Kagami-kun and let him know about Himuro-san."

Hyuga cleared his throat. "Kagami was at the game. He already knows. He's in the lobby, along with someone named Nijimura and the Generation of Miracles. They were all at the game and came to see how you were doing; it's causing a bit of a standoff down there in fact. But they don't want to come up until you've seen the rest of the team first. So, are you up for this? You do need rest so it might not be the worst thing to just go back to sleep and let us tell everyone else to go home."

They were unsurprised to see Kuroko veto that with a small shake of his head. He was neither rude enough nor cowardly enough to refuse to see his visitors, no matter his physical condition. They wished him well, with a promise to check on him later and went to summon the next group. The nurse had limited it to three people at a time, so there would be several rotations.

By the time he'd seen everyone from Seirin, Kuroko was exhausted, but extremely grateful for their support. While they were all understandably disappointed, he caught no sense of blame from them due to his performance. If anything, they seemed more worried about his reaction and he understood they really did know why he was trying so hard. Even Mitobe-senpai had silently offered a pat on his shoulder, which Koganei supplemented with his usual translations. Only Izuki's visit had a moment of awkwardness; the eagle-eyed point guard wasn't sure how to react to Kuroko after seeing his emotions slip like that during the game. He wanted to ask Kuroko about it, but this was not the appropriate time. He settled for telling Kuroko his hope for a speedy recovery and an offer of help if he needed it. Kuroko knew what the other male was really saying and he nodded his understanding. As they exited, Koganei tossed back a warning to him that the next batch of visitors was coming in.

Nijimura entered with Kagami and Midorima. Kuroko raised an eyebrow at this grouping but he supposed that in a way it made sense. Nijimura waved hesitantly and took up position by the small window. Kagami went over to Himuro's side at first, taking the opportunity to stare mindlessly at the machines that were doing work he didn't understand.

Midorima stood awkwardly for a moment; it was obvious he was uncomfortable. But finally he pushed up his glasses and asked how Kuroko was feeling, which drew both Kagami and Nijimura over. Kuroko repeated much of the same statements he'd made to his Seirin teammates about his prognosis and anticipated release day.

Nijimura nodded and then apologized for having to leave, but he was needed at home. Kuroko waved that away and thanked the other for staying as long as he had – he could tell it was evening, meaning that he'd been asleep for several hours while they had waited. Nijimura paused, and eyed the other two athletes for a moment before he offered a last comment, "I know today wasn't what you hoped for, Kuroko. But I think it is clear you weren't really defeated as a basketball player in that game. Let's catch up soon."

Midorima nodded to his ex-captain as he left, he easily understood the additional message for Kuroko in those words. He turned back to Kuroko and silently surveyed the injured teen. "You seem quite prone to injury, Kuroko. Twice in the same tournament…you should be more careful. Fate did not choose your side today, but I will admit all of you fought hard against unpleasant circumstances. It was…not a game one felt good about watching."

Kuroko quirked his lips in response to that. "If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't a game we felt particularly good about while playing."

This startled a laugh from Midorima. "No, I suppose not." He looked over at Himuro and asked about the older teen's status.

Although Kuroko answered Midorima's question, he really addressed the remarks to Kagami, who noticeably stiffened at the mention Himuro might be going back to America.

The shooting guard stayed a little longer before giving in to Kagami's anxious shuffling. "I can tell Kagami has something he wishes to say in private, so I'll be leaving. I am sorry about the game, Kuroko. This is not how I wanted our contest to end, but in some ways, I am glad we didn't meet on the court."

Kuroko absorbed that for a moment before he answered. "Thank you for coming to see me, Midorima-kun. But the contest isn't over. I just have to change directions."

Midorima shrugged. "You're free to do as you please, naturally. However I don't know how much further you can tempt fate." He left on that note and the air seemed to flatten with his exit.

Kagami and Kuroko stared at each other. Kagami was obviously trying to gather his thoughts together so Kuroko waited patiently, he certainly didn't have anywhere else he was supposed to be at the moment. The taller teen kept darting looks over at Himuro, as if hoping the other male would suddenly wake up and give him an excuse to avoid talking to Kuroko. He finally took pity on his friend and spoke first.

"Kagami-kun, it is okay. I know we were both worked up the other day and I wasn't being fair. I don't know what you're thinking, but this wasn't your fault."

The redhead looked absurdly grateful for a moment but then he shook his head sharply. "It's not that...exactly. I know I couldn't have stopped it. Seeing both of you go down like that...it was hard. And you looked like you were going to punch Hanamiya when he was talking to you if Izuki hadn't stopped you. I don't think I've ever seen you look that angry."

"I was angry. I'm glad Izuki-senpai stopped me, I wasn't in my right mind just then."

"Does this change your mind about anything, Kuroko?"

"No, Kagami-kun. I still disagree with your plan, but I know it is not my place to make that decision for you. I know you're doing what you think is right and I'm the same way. We might have lost today, but there was always the chance that would happen at some point in the tournament, if not ultimately to Rakuzan. I have...well, contingencies, I suppose you could say, that I will explore."

"Did you tell Tatsuya?"

"I did, he needed to know. Himuro-san was looking forward to testing your strength, but it looks like that will have to wait a while. I don't know if his parents will make him go back to America or not, but I hope the two of you will be able to resolve what's between you either way."

"Yeah. Me too. I'll try to come see you tomorrow, but I'd better head out so the others can come in and you can get some sleep. Get better soon, Kuroko."

"Thank you, Kagami-kun."

Kagami left and ushered in Kise, Aomine, and Murasakibara. Now, if Kuroko had been less tired, he might have considered the implications of the three visitors at a time stipulation and understood that this meant he would be seeing Akashi alone. He could be forgiven this lapse however; he'd had somewhat of a trying day.

Murasakibara claimed the chair next to him, while Kise propped himself against the wall, and Aomine stood near the foot of the bed. He waved weakly at them, in hindsight it seemed that maybe taking Hyuga up on his offer to send everyone away might have been more prudent.

"Kurokocchi, you weren't supposed to lose yet." Kise's comment was intended to be humorous, but his usual lighthearted demeanor seemed somewhat muted as he took in Kuroko's appearance.

"It wasn't intentional, Kise-kun."

Aomine caught his eye next. "Rough game, Tetsu. That was a hell of a strategy when you started redirecting the passes; it looked like you might pull through. Once they took out the guy with the bangs over there though…well, that's one reason you can't rely on others to win."

Kuroko sighed. "It's not relying on others, Aomine-kun. It's trusting in the strength of the team."

Aomine shrugged. "Prettier words, but it lands you with the same result in the end."

"Mine-chin, that's enough. Aka-chin said not to antagonize him." Murasakibara's lazy interjection was a little unexpected, and Kuroko looked at the larger teen in surprise.

"Eh? I'm not wrong, am I? And you're probably thinking the same thing, Murasakibara."

Murasakibara shrugged. "They weren't strong enough, that's true. But we already know it takes more than him getting knocked unconscious to give up on a fight."

Kise laughed in agreement, looking somewhat restored. "Murasakibaracchi's right."

Aomine scoffed but then his expression darkened. "Whatever. I hope those bastards make it to the finals. What they're doing is shitty, and even I know it. We'll crush them."

"No, Aomine-kun. That means they would try to do something like this against all of you. I hope their next opponent can defeat them."

Murasakibara chuckled. "Kurochin, they could try, but we're a bit bigger than you. They can't touch us."

Kise nodded. "Since you won't make it to the final, we'll defeat them for you instead if they advance."

It was a strange moment. Kuroko could understand how this was somewhat of an endorsement of their recognition of his and Seirin's potential, but it didn't quite follow through on the idea of what he wanted from them. He found, to his shame, that he didn't have the energy to debate them on this right now as he could feel the pain medication taking a deeper hold over him.

They noticed he was fading and quickly left so that Akashi could enter. He took the chair Murasakibara had vacated, settling himself into the uncomfortable piece of furniture as if it were the most regal of perches imaginable. His eyes moved over Tetsuya's form, noting the damage he'd taken. They didn't speak, the background noises keeping the room from pure silence, but they merely looked at one another – an odd combination of wary concern and resolved fortitude.

When Akashi eventually spoke, his words were cool and distant. "Tetsuya, I find myself disappointed."

Kuroko hummed faintly before responding. "It did not go according to plan, Akashi-kun."

The redhead met his eyes. "I don't mean the game. Obviously we will revisit that issue another time. I mean that you punched _me_ for merely suggesting you were a coward. You let Hanamiya destroy your team, yet I saw only a glimmer of effort to respond. It leaves me rather unconvinced that you care as much about them as you keep insisting you do."

Kuroko laughed and immediately regretted it as his body protested the abrupt spasms. "Akashi-kun, you really have no idea. But you are right that my response fell short. I would not have wanted to know all of you saw today's game with the result as it was, but it has been nice to have company."

"About that, where are your parents? I understand from what Taiga said on his way out that his," here Akashi nodded toward Himuro's still form, "are on their way from America."

Kuroko nodded. "Himuro-san's parents are still living there, so they'll be a little delayed. My parents are travelling with my grandmother, it is difficult to reach them sometimes, but my injuries aren't that bad so I thought it best not to worry them when my teammates said they couldn't get in touch."

Akashi's eyes looked thoughtful as he considered the reply. "I see."

Kuroko was desperately trying to stay awake, but he could feel his body trembling with the effort. Of course Akashi noticed this and he shook his head at the idiotic behavior Tetsuya was demonstrating.

"Go to sleep, Tetsuya. I'll be here for a while but if you don't wake before I leave I will certainly see you soon. I have some things I'd like to discuss with you when you're a bit more clear-headed. I don't consider our business settled any more than you do." If Kuroko had been able to focus just a little more, he might have noted that Akashi's eyes were briefly, for the merest fraction of a moment, both the same shade of red while he spoke. But by the time the last word had been said, they'd gone back to their heterochromatic state.

It was much later, as Akashi stared absently at the wall while the other male slept, that he was reminded of how little he knew about Kuroko. A quiet buzz from Kuroko's bag drew Akashi's attention and he removed the phone to check the alert in case it was from the injured teen's parents. There was a message from someone the log had identified as Takao-kun, "Tet-chan, Hoshi-chan told me you had a game today but you haven't let us know how it went. When are you going to come see us? I was sorry to miss you last time and it's been far too long."

Who were these people? Friends? Relatives? Was one of them his lover? No, he was reasonably certain that Tetsuya would not have been so forward with him that evening on the train if he were involved with someone. They probably did not attend Rakuzan, neither name struck him as familiar– but they were well enough acquainted with him that they knew he was playing basketball and this Takao person had even used a nickname in the message. They probably didn't attend Seirin; word would have reached them by now of the game's result. Another mystery and yet more aspects of Tetsuya that were hidden from him. It didn't really matter though. Akashi had a growing list of things he wanted to know and it was as with anything else in his world – he would find a way to accomplish his goals. It was not lost on him, however, that Tetsuya shared the same drive and attitude. He glanced at Tetsuya as he stood to leave after replacing the other's phone in his bag. For now, it seemed he had some thinking to do. Their clash of wills was far from over, but Akashi was patient, assured of his own path, and more than willing to see this through.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

 

_-Saturday at the Hospital-_

The next morning when Kuroko woke up he could see Himuro was awake as well. The silver eyed teen looked awful, but Kuroko didn't hold out much hope that he looked any better. He certainly didn't feel any better. As he became more alert, he felt an uncomfortable pressure in his bladder – the downside of an IV that would keep you hydrated and medicated. Himuro shot him a sympathetic look of understanding before tiredly advising, "Go ahead and push your call button for help Kuroko, in the long run it's the wiser battle plan."

When the nurse arrived to assist Kuroko, Himuro politely turned his gaze away. It was a sobering realization for Kuroko to recognize how weak he felt in that moment. But when it was done and the nurse checked him over, she rolled a tray over that contained some supplies for cleaning his teeth. He could schedule a shower for a little later in the day if he wanted, and he did, so she made a note.

Exhausted from even these small efforts, he collapsed back against his pillows and looked at Himuro. "Have you spoken with a doctor yet, Himuro-san?"

"Yes, I was just briefed before you woke up. Thankfully there's no permanent damage, but I'm out for the summer at least."

Kuroko nodded. "It's a relief you're not more seriously hurt. Riko-san mentioned last night that your parents are on their way to visit you."

The atmosphere seemed to dampen for a brief moment before Himuro responded, but with no indication in his tone that anything was amiss, "It will be good to see them again, although I would wish for different circumstances."

"Perhaps we can bribe the nurse to say you are asleep when they arrive?" Kuroko made the suggestion lightly, however it was also with a hint of concern. Himuro had not offered much information about his family; but Kuroko knew that the other teen had chosen to come ahead to Japan without them when his mother's transfer had been delayed.

Himuro shot him an unhappy look and they fell into a silence neither was comfortable breaking for a while. Their morning passed in relative monotony as they were subjected to various tests, medicinal distributions, and enforced naps from the steady influx of sedatives they'd been given. A highlight of the early afternoon came when it was time for their showers; it turned out the fastidious Himuro had also elected for one. Although the excursion proved tortuous and humiliating; they were both strong young men that had not had cause to distrust their bodies' capabilities in quite a long time, they accepted the attendants' help with the stoic realization that it would be dangerous to refuse. Despite this, they did feel better for being clean and made their way back to their room in more cheerful spirits.

It was with some consternation, then, that they took in the scene awaiting them on their return. In the span of time it had taken them to shower and return, their room had become a territorial stand-off. On Kuroko's side of the room, Akashi and Murasakibara waited patiently. On Himuro's, Riko and Hyuga could be seen. Kagami hovered indecisively between their two sections, one could plainly see his weighing the options and it looked like he was closer to solving the mysteries of the universe than making his decision.

For some reason, this annoyed Himuro, who snapped at the tall redhead, "Just sit down somewhere, Taiga. The room isn't so big that you won't be able to talk to both of us. Surely you don't think Riko and Hyuga will ignore Kuroko just for being further away?"

Kagami looked embarrassed but he shuffled over to a visitor's chair and moved it to be more or less equidistant between the two occupants who had carefully resettled themselves in their respective beds. Kuroko knew enough about Himuro to recognize that both of them had moved as cautiously as possible to not seem weak in front of any of their visitors; they had both had quite enough shots taken at their dignity that day, thank you.

An awkward silence remained unbroken as Akashi merely looked amused, Murasakibara was content to follow his captain's lead, Hyuga and Riko were a bit uncomfortable, and Kagami was dealing with his own set of concerns. Himuro and Kuroko caught each other's gaze and their usual pattern of synchronization held true here as well; they understood that they would have to do something to maintain peace for their visitors. Kuroko sighed before he made the first move. Honestly, they were the ones that were injured, did they really have to play diplomat as well? Apparently so.

Kuroko was about to address a general greeting to them as a whole when a nurse entered the room with a trolley. He'd forgotten that their lunch had been scheduled for delivery after their shower appointments, but he was grateful for the interruption as it would provide an excuse to break the tension.

The trays were delivered to their individual tables and the nurse checked to see if anyone needed anything; the offer was politely declined and she nodded before exiting again. Riko firmed her lips for a moment before taking charge, "Don't let your food spoil, the both of you need to recover as quickly as possible which means you need to eat all of your meals."

At this, there was a slight warming of the atmosphere and the two patients both felt a sense of relief. Kuroko started to reach for his tray but Murasakibara, recalling Kuroko's stiff movements when he entered the room, pulled the table closer and uncovered the tray for him, while Hyuga performed the same courtesy for Himuro.

Kuroko surveyed his tray without much enthusiasm; he wasn't a big eater for all that the food was perfectly acceptable fare. The only item that looked mildly appealing was the rice pudding – it was flavored with vanilla and ginger and smelled delicious. He wondered if he could just give the rest of his lunch to either Kagami or Murasakibara, they'd been in this room for over ten minutes, surely at least one of them was hungry by now.

"Tetsuya, I believe your coach offered valuable advice. It would be a shame to disregard it and hinder your recovery." Akashi's comment was mild, but revealed his uncanny ability to know what someone else was thinking. He spoke quietly enough that the other people in the room didn't hear him, yet Kuroko had the feeling that Akashi was not above tattling on him if he didn't make an effort.

He surveyed his tray again. Well, one bite at a time was the only option anyway. He found, to his surprise, that he was able to eat a fair portion of the food. But he stopped well short of completing it and regretfully eyed the untouched rice pudding – he simply had no room left in his stomach for the treat. Kuroko pushed the tray away to signal he was done. Catching the movement out of the corner of her eye, Riko looked over, took stock of his condition and his progress with his meal, and made the accurate call that Kuroko had done what he could. Soon after, the trays were removed and the nurse looked around before sternly advising them that Kuroko and Himuro would need rest and they couldn't stay all afternoon. This was acknowledged, but nobody made immediate plans to leave.

As Himuro and Kuroko had eaten their meals, their visitors had gamely accepted the tacit truce and a relatively civil, if stilted, conversation was conducted. Nobody mentioned their one obvious connection – basketball. Instead, they focused on the type of mindless chatter one strikes up with strangers on public transport and so they found themselves in agreement that the weather was pleasant and that schoolwork was demanding. If you squinted, ignored the strained pauses and lapses in conversation, and didn't question why nobody was really looking at Akashi, then it might just have appeared that the group as a whole were quite chummy with one another. But unfortunately, that was a lot of 'ifs' to consider. They managed to carry on despite this.

The fragile balance was abruptly destroyed as a whirlwind of energy contained in the figure of a bespectacled blonde woman with a generously proportioned figure came hurtling in the room. Upon spying Himuro and Kagami, she let loose a flood of excited words, but as they were in English, most of the room had difficulty following her rapid speech. Akashi did not.

"Tatsuya! How're you feeling? I came as soon as I heard. Your parents called me to let me know and boy do they blame me for this, bigtime. You're definitely in for an earful when they get here. And you too, Taiga, if you see them coming you better scram. They were already extremely unhappy with you and this didn't help matters."

"Alex, please use Japanese so that everyone can understand you." Himuro's gentle admonishment was meant to accomplish two things; first, to genuinely include the whole room, but also to subtly remind her not to bring up incidents from their past. This only caused her to shrug but she obediently switched to Japanese as she looked around the room.

"Hi everyone, I'm Alexandra Garcia, Alex for short." On spying Riko, her eyes lit up and identical looks of horror crossed Kagami's and Himuro's faces but before they could warn the Seirin coach, Alex had advanced and landed a rather enthusiastic kiss on Riko's unsuspecting lips. Kagami sprang up and pulled Alex back from Riko, muttering apologetic excuses while Hyuga sputtered in indignation, Kuroko had his usual blank expression in place, and Akashi and Murasakibara looked on with polite interest as if waiting the next scene in a play.

"Alex…you really must control yourself. Especially here, people don't kiss strangers, let alone in public." Himuro's voice was resigned; this was obviously a long-standing issue.

"You don't know what you're missing then." She paused, and then raised an eyebrow before asking somewhat archly, "Unless things have changed, that is?"

"ALEX!" Kagami and Himuro spoke in frustrated tandem.

She laughed before turning to look around the room again. "Sorry, everyone. Introductions then?"

Kagami cursed quietly under his breath before taking the initiative. Alex had a smile for each person but it faltered somewhat when he pointed out Akashi. He merely nodded at her in return but did not speak in acknowledgment of the introduction.

She decided not to make anything of it and instead looked intently at Kuroko. "I've heard a lot about you, Kuroko. Both Taiga and Tatsuya speak highly of you."

Kuroko flushed slightly but thanked her, after shooting both of his friends a look of embarrassed reproach. "I have heard only good things about you and of course I see your influence in the basketball that they play."

Akashi straightened a little in response to this statement. He trained his gaze anew on the blonde, considering what he knew of Taiga's powerful and determined style of play alongside the elegantly lethal nature that her other student possessed. To be a mentor to both with such disparate, but equally effective, styles…that was certainly worth taking note of.

Alex smiled at Kuroko, pleased by his polite manner and the implication that her students had mentioned her. She turned back to one of the males in question. "Taiga, I forgot to say this before, but your landlord let me in your apartment. I'll be staying with you while I'm here."

As one, everyone else turned to take in Kagami's reaction to this rather startling news. Predictably, he was caught off guard but really, what could he say? While Kagami hadn't expected her to come to Japan, he owed Alex a lot and he knew the combination of his phone call to her from a few days ago as well as the news of Tatsuya's injury meant she wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

Finally he simply shrugged before saying, "As long as you keep your clothes on, we'll be fine." Naturally the others in the room, excluding Himuro who was familiar with Alex's proclivities, thought this suggested something far more intimate than he actually meant and it took a moment before the awkward silence finally dawned on Kagami and he tried to fix it, "No! It's not like that! She's just very…" but he couldn't find an acceptable phrase to explain Alex's casual attitude toward clothing, or the lack thereof.

She took pity on him even while laughing at him, "It's fine, Taiga." Alex spoke to them as a whole, "Taiga's like one of my kids so I'm just more comfortable around him. But he's such a baby about some things, don't you think?" And many in the room nodded in agreement.

Perhaps it was fate, or simply her uninhibited nature, but Alex wasted no time directing the conversation toward basketball and particularly the recent game that had resulted in Kuroko's and Himuro's current condition.

"So you're out? What happened to the other team? Surely they'll receive some kind of sanction? Both of you look terrible and I doubt you're the only ones that took damage. Where was the referee during all of this?"

The Seirin players exchanged glances before Hyuga responded for them. "Kirisaki Daiichi is experienced with this type of game. They do it when the referee can't see. In Himuro's case, they made it look like they tripped over him in pursuit of a loose ball. Kuroko was hit right at the end of the game when the referee was watching to see if the shot would beat the buzzer. They won't be sanctioned because to the officials, it just looks like a series of accidents."

Murasakibara looked up at this last. He eyed both Himuro and Kuroko before speaking. "They'll probably meet us in the finals. They're playing Shutuko tomorrow in the semifinals, but Mibuchi is already injured from their last match. Without him, Shutuko doesn't have a chance. We already told Kurochin we'd beat them for you."

An exasperated sigh escaped Kuroko at this remark. "I was too tired to mention this last night Murasakibara-kun, but I really don't think it should be approached that way."

Akashi smiled at him. It wasn't precisely a kind look, but neither was it mocking. "I'm sure you don't, Tetsuya. But in this, I'm afraid you really have no choice." He looked broodingly at the bruises which were far more noticeable today than they had been the evening before. "It will have to be some comfort to you to know that we will definitely be taking our opponents seriously."

Those words were loaded and in their own way, everyone understood it. Akashi's remark seemed to signal something because he stood and Murasakibara followed suit. He looked over at Himuro and politely wished him a swift recovery. Then he turned his attention back to Kuroko. "I didn't anticipate the crowd so I will wait for another chance to speak with you. Until next time." He nodded at the rest of the room in general, with another farewell specifically to Kagami and exited the room.

Murasakibara paused before following and looked contemplatively at Himuro, "You're worrying Kurochin and Kagami – get better soon." He glanced back at Kuroko, "See you later, Kurochin. Get some rest." And then he was gone, oblivious to the consternation that was created in the wake of his observation.

Himuro quirked his lips for a brief moment. "Interesting friend you have there."

Kagami shrugged, "He's hard to figure out sometimes."

Kuroko concurred, "He's a good guy, well, as long as he's not playing basketball."

After a few more minutes, Riko and Hyuga excused themselves as well with orders to rest and get better soon. Alex stayed a few more minutes before admitting to jet lag and her intent to return to Kagami's apartment. With a cheery wave to all of them she told Kagami she'd see him that evening and agreed with the previous wishes for them to get better soon. And then Kagami was left alone with the two patients and he felt at a loss. The three of them looked at each other awkwardly for a moment. While they all had strong bonds, the timing and circumstances of recent events made this situation undeniably uncomfortable.

And then an unintentional chuckle escaped Kagami as he considered how utterly ridiculous it was to be so uptight around these two people in particular. As if sensing the redhead's realization, both Kuroko and Himuro reflexively relaxed.

All might have proceeded easily from that point, if Himuro's parents hadn't entered at that moment. Kuroko knew without being told who they were- both Kagami and Himuro froze, although it was less noticeable on the older teen than with Kagami. The adults had closed expressions that somehow still conveyed their fury when they saw the redhead and like Alex before them, they initially spoke in rapidly paced English that Kuroko had trouble following, though he caught some of it. The tone was easy enough to translate in any case.

Kuroko understood they blamed Kagami for some incident in America that pushed their son to behave recklessly – not a condition Kuroko associated with the careful, reserved teen – and now look what had happened! But with an apologetic glance at Kuroko, because he answered them in English despite his earlier insistence that Alex use Japanese, Himuro abruptly interrupted their tirade.

Kagami blushed harder than Kuroko had ever seen, but he didn't really understand what was said to inspire that reaction. Then Kuroko heard his own name and the adults turned their furious eyes his way, but they silenced themselves despite clearly wanting to say something to him as well. Kuroko, who did not consider himself a coward, was immeasurably grateful for Himuro's interference in this case.

Kuroko was not surprised when Kagami carefully inched his way closer to his side of the room. It was as strategic a move as could occur in the circumstances, although he'd admit that Himuro looked more than capable of dealing with them even in his battered condition. When Kuroko looked at him questioningly, Kagami shook his head and answered softly, "Not the right time. We'll talk later." Kuroko nodded. He had only a basic understanding that his two friends knew each other in America and had played basketball together, and while he'd been aware something had gone wrong at some point, he'd had no suspicion that it spilled over into such animosity from Himuro's parents.

The nurse bustled in, having heard the commotion and really she felt this pair had had quite a few too many visitors today, all things considered. She was less than impressed when informed they were Himuro's parents; her obligation was to observe the doctor's orders for the two teens to get rest. She warned that visiting hours were soon up and they must maintain a tone that promoted the comfort of all patients in the vicinity.

The conversation that followed was conducted on a quieter, but no less vehement scale. Kuroko could tell they were fighting about Himuro staying in Japan. When one of them mentioned trying to force him to go back, Kuroko heard Himuro's sharp protest that he intended to finish high school in Japan. Kagami bid Kuroko a hasty goodbye and tentatively nodded toward Himuro, Kuroko got the message and he would convey his farewell to the other teen when it was safe. When finally Himuro's parents left, both he and Kuroko were drained from the strains of the day.

"Is it just me, or did today feel far worse than the Kirisaki Daiichi game itself?" Himuro's attempt at a joke fell a little flat, but only because Kuroko wasn't sure it _was_ a joke. Neither of them had much left in their reserves at this point and it was with some gratitude that they simply lapsed into exhausted silence for a while.

Eventually, they spoke again, but it was half-hearted and obviously ignoring the tension with Himuro's family and Kagami. The evening drew out with the various routine procedures they had come to expect; there was a certain relief to it at this stage. When they finally drifted to sleep, they both found themselves plagued with fitful dreams and abrupt moments of awakening. Neither of them acknowledged when they knew the other was awake – it was the only semblance of privacy they could manage at this stage when both of them had much to think about and plan for.

_-Sunday afternoon-_

When Sunday finally arrived and he was discharged after a final check that afternoon, Kuroko said good bye to Himuro with the promise to be back to visit soon. The older teen still had a few more days of observation and then he would begin a regimen of physical therapy to ensure he could return to full strength. His parents were still fighting about whether he would be allowed to remain in Japan by himself, if one of them would stay, or if they would insist their son return to America with them. Personally, Kuroko was betting that Himuro would ultimately manage to stay in Japan, but he doubted it would be an easy battle for the teen to win.

Kuroko was surprised to find that Murasakibara and Midorima were waiting for him outside the hospital when he exited the building. They looked like they had been arguing about something but they stopped when they noticed his arrival.

"Kuroko, you look much better." Midorima's comment, while curt, did indicate his concern and Kuroko took it for what it was.

"I feel better, Midorima-kun. They took very good care of me here."

"Kurochin, we have a present for you." Murasakibara reached down to lift a medium-sized box from the ground beside him and handed it to Kuroko.

He looked down into the open box and saw a small puppy curled up asleep on a blanket. It had short but fluffy black and white fur, with sharply pointed ears and a tiny triangular black nose. It yawned and sleepily opened its eyes, which proved to be a startlingly familiar shade of light blue.

"Don't be ridiculous, Murasakibara. The last thing he needs is more responsibility when he's still hurt. And he would need to get permission from his family first."

"Eh? But you were the one that said his eyes looked like Kurochin's. And Akachin said it was alright to give him the puppy when I asked."

Kuroko reached down into the box, ignoring the slight pain the movement caused, and softly stroked the small canine that wagged his short, curled tail in appreciation. "Thank you both. I can take him, my parents are away but they have mentioned my acquiring a pet before since they and my grandmother are so frequently gone from home. Does he already have a name?"

Midorima snorted. "I doubt it. Murasakibara found him abandoned in an alley."

The purple haired teen nodded in agreement. "But Midochin is right; he looks like you, Kurochin."

"Tetsu-kun! Good to see you again!" Kuroko looked up with some surprise to see Momoi walking briskly toward him with Aomine following at a much slower pace. She had a bag in hand which she promptly gave to him. "Dai-chan told me about the puppy that Mukkun found. I guessed you probably wouldn't already have supplies and since he is a gift and you're getting out of the hospital, we wanted to make sure we didn't accidentally inconvenience you."

Kuroko set the box down and curiously looked in the bag; Momoi had acquired a leash, some food, a selection of small toys, a brush, and a few other items that would help Kuroko with the puppy. The dog barked softly and Kuroko smiled at him. "We both appreciate your thoughtfulness, Momoi-san. Thank you very much."

Midorima's stuffy objection came next, "And if he hadn't been able to take the dog? What then, Momoi?"

She turned wide pink eyes toward him, "Dai-chan would take him, of course. He was already cuddling it when you two went to get some snacks before."

There was a brief pause as they collectively looked at the usually gruff teen flushing and scowling at Momoi. "Satsuki, you shouldn't tell such lies."

The ever-prepared manager quickly whipped out her phone and showed the photo she'd surreptitiously snapped that featured Aomine holding the puppy – he clearly did not look unhappy to be doing so. An awkward pause ensued before there was a communal, unspoken agreement to not ever trust Momoi with anything remotely embarrassing. Rather than say anything, Momoi simply put away her phone with a satisfied smirk, she was well aware she'd won that round.

Aomine coughed uncomfortably and looked around at the other Rakuzan students; nobody seemed to want to talk so he reluctantly began speaking. "Ah, Tetsu…Akashi told us your parents were still out of town and we came to make sure you got home okay."

Midorima shrugged in partial denial. "We also came to watch the semi-final match that was played today. You might not have heard yet, but Kirisaki Daiichi advanced, we're playing them in the finals. Since your discharge time was so convenient to the end of the game, we decided to wait for you." His comment was noncommittal, but Kuroko understood the reserved teen could still have left already if he'd wanted to. While Kuroko appreciated the gesture, he was unhappy to hear that Kirisaki Daiichi had made it through to the next round.

"I hadn't heard, Midorima-kun. I hope all of you will be careful when you play them."

"Naturally we will do everything we can. That is why we always win."

Momoi, sensing that this probably wasn't the best direction for the conversation to go in, reminded them that Kuroko would need to get home and rest. After the commute, which was made a little more interesting than it might normally be with the addition of the dog, they all arrived at Kuroko's apartment. Kuroko felt it was a strangely surreal experience to have so many of them over when he'd never had any of them visit before.

In deference to Kuroko's injury, Momoi took over the duties associated with gathering drinks for everyone as they settled down into the living room. Kuroko looked around and wondered if he could have imagined such a thing at the start of the year, and realized that no, he'd never even remotely suspected this as a possibility. He was further assured of that when Midorima pulled out his phone as it signaled an alert.

"Akashi and Kise have arrived. I'll go let them in." If it was noticed that nobody had actually asked Kuroko if that was okay, then it went unmentioned. Kuroko certainly didn't waste time speculating why they had come later than the others or how they knew his address – Kuroko was sure Akashi had probably memorized his student file.

Kise came in alone; Midorima and Akashi were briefly delayed by the entry. But they soon entered and joined the gathering and nobody thought anything of it.

With a casual hello to the room, Kise made an immediate beeline toward the dog – it was playfully shaking a small rope toy and the blond took up the other end and engaged in a brief tug-of-war with the animal. He smiled when the puppy looked up at him. "It does look like you, Kurokocchi. Did you name him yet?"

Kuroko shook his head. "No, I'm not very good with things like that. I'm still thinking."

After Kise stopped playing with him, the dog picked up a small ball – it was a dog toy designed to look like a basketball – and took it over to Akashi, sitting directly in front of him with the toy in his mouth and a hopeful expression on his face.

Akashi reached down to take the toy from the dog, who decided to prove stubborn and not let go immediately. The redhead raised an eyebrow at the dog, "You are very like your new master in more ways than one. You might as well be Tetsuya Number 2."

The puppy gave an agreeable bark and it was settled as Momoi made it official, "That's easy enough, right Tetsu-kun? He's definitely Nigou!" While some groans were heard, the name did suit the puppy and Kuroko didn't object.

At this point they all looked to Akashi, who had clearly been waiting for some reason. He took his time; he knew they would wait after all. But finally he glanced over at Kuroko and began speaking. "I'm sure you weren't expecting us to ambush you in such a way but there is a purpose. Naturally we are all interested in your recovery, but I also wanted to extend an invitation to you and your team. I would wager that Seirin has at least one summer training camp. Rakuzan holds three during the summer. I would like you and Seirin to join us for one of ours. The first of them will begin following the Inter High final and the conclusion of exams, we'll hold a second one in the middle of summer break, and the third will take place before classes resume following the summer holiday."

Kuroko's eyes widened and he shot a look of surprise at Akashi.

The redhead ignored it and continued speaking. "I would propose the second or third sessions might be better since so many on your team are injured from your recent match, but I wanted to run it by you first before formally issuing the invitation to your coach."

You could have knocked Kuroko over with a feather in that moment he was so surprised. It took his brain a long moment to process what Akashi had said but finally he could reply. "Why, Akashi-kun?"

Everyone else was waiting for his answer, too. Akashi had casually mentioned this idea to them earlier, but he'd refrained from explaining anything further.

At first it seemed he wouldn't bother to respond, but finally he did. "As I told you after your game, I think we agree this business is not yet settled despite Seirin's inability to reach the finals. I'm interested in other ways we might resolve it and nothing says you can't argue with us during practices just as easily as an official game. I can't invite only you obviously, and I'm not particularly interested in your team without you there, so I first wanted to ensure you would go if I extend this invitation."

Kuroko was honestly astounded. He couldn't have predicted such an offer in a million years and he was uncertain as to what Akashi intended to accomplish with this gesture. "I would go with Seirin, if Riko-san accepted the invitation, of course I would. But I will be honest, I don't understand it."

Akashi smirked at him. "It isn't so wonderful being on the receiving end of things like this, is it, Tetsuya? But I promise, it is a sincere offer."

The other members of the Generation of Miracles looked questioningly back and forth between their captain and Kuroko. While Akashi had technically answered, they didn't find it really told them anything and from Kuroko's bemused expression, they knew he shared their confusion. They also all knew they were unlikely to get any further information from the redhead until he was damn good and ready to share.

One by one, they gradually departed until it was just Akashi left with Kuroko and Nigou. The redhead stared for a long moment at the dog as it lay sleeping on the floor in front of Kuroko before looking up at the other male. "Who are Takao and Hoshi?"

Kuroko's breath caught at this unexpected query. "Why do you know those names? It's nothing to hide, they're friends. Hoshi used to live next door, but she attends a boarding school now. Takao volunteers there."

Akashi held Kuroko's gaze and the unwavering intensity told Kuroko there was something else at stake. "I checked your phone Friday evening when it beeped, I thought it might be your parents but it was a message from Takao."

Well, that solved a little mystery for him at least. Kuroko had figured he must have checked his phone under the influence of medication when he saw the 'read' indicator for Takao's message. He'd notified Takao of the game's result and promised to visit soon. Takao had sympathized with him and promised to pass along the message to Hoshi. He hadn't mentioned his injuries.

Kuroko nodded. "Takao-kun plays a number of sports, including basketball. He keeps tabs on such things."

Akashi nodded, but he didn't feel completely relieved yet. "And Hoshi? She is…special…to you?"

Kuroko didn't pick up on the slight edge of danger hidden in Akashi's question. "Yes. She's like my little sister." He pointed to the small framed picture on display in the room; it was one of Hoshi's more recent creations. "She's going to be an amazing artist one day." The pride and affection in Kuroko's voice told Akashi that while this girl was important to Kuroko, it was not a romantic feeling. He felt himself relax and knew it was time to go, so he stood.

"If you're hungry, Kise and I left some food for you in the kitchen. Get some rest, Tetsuya, and remember you promised to attend the camp if your coach accepts. I'll contact her soon with the details. Before that though, I hope you'll be able to attend the Inter High final. It should be…interesting." Akashi smiled and it was an odd exhibit of calm ferocity; Kuroko didn't know if he'd ever seen one like it before.

Kuroko sighed quietly. "Thank you for the food, Akashi-kun. I remember my promise." He met Akashi's eyes as he continued, "I know, more than most, that you are strong Akashi-kun. But please don't approach this game as anything personal. Neither of you really care about the win itself, so neither team is competing in an expected way; you need to be careful."

Akashi gazed unblinkingly at him. "Tetsuya, I am always careful. If you haven't realized that yet, you're less intelligent than I gave you credit for." He left before Kuroko could respond and in some ways, it was for the best.

Well there was nothing for it, was there? Kuroko couldn't exactly have disagreed with him, in any case. He gave a slight shrug despite there being no one else there and made his way to his room to lay down for a while.

It was only later, when Kuroko woke up from his nap and slowly made his way to the kitchen for something to drink, that he saw the ginger-vanilla rice pudding waiting for him in the refrigerator along with various other boxed items that could be easily reheated. The dessert looked far more appetizing than the serving he'd had to pass on in the hospital and it spoke to Akashi's keen powers of observation that this had been included in the provisions. He looked down at the puppy that had followed him into the room and was looking up at him expectantly.

"You're right, Nigou. We're definitely in trouble."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.
> 
> A/N: Thanks to Rinfantasy for catching my error about Japan's age of majority! In Chapter 13, I initially made Himuro's turning 18 to be the reason he planned to stay in Japan while arguing with his parents, but I corrected it to his intent to finish high school there.
> 
> Welcome to Chapter 14, I hope you like it!

The Shadow Stratagem

Chapter 14

* * *

 

-Monday-

The next day was something of an aberration. Not that too many people would have known anything was different or why it was particularly unusual, but for only the second time in his entire academic career, Kuroko missed school. He hadn't told anyone he wouldn't be there, and his phone went directly to voicemail when Kagami tried to call him. The redhead didn't initially think that was such a big deal since Kuroko was probably still sore and resting at home, but when he ran into Nijimura outside the library that afternoon, Kagami realized something was up.

They faced each other a little awkwardly, their first meeting certainly hadn't the best way to start an acquaintanceship and the hospital encounter hadn't exactly deepened a bond between them. After a brief exchange of greetings, Nijimura got straight to the point.

"Kagami, have you seen Kuroko? We were supposed to meet this morning and he didn't show up. I texted him but haven't gotten a reply, so I thought I'd come see if he was on library duty today."

"What? No, I figured he was just taking a personal day at home. He probably just didn't feel like facing anyone today."

Nijimura eyed him briefly before scoffing at him. "You really don't know him very well, do you? We didn't interact much when he played on the team because of his low ranking, but I could tell you without even thinking about it that he isn't the type to take a 'personal day' to avoid someone."

Kagami paused at this, he would admit he didn't know everything about Kuroko but he knew enough that he didn't like the idea that whatever Kuroko was doing was worth missing school for – surely that signaled something disproportionately…drastic? The redhead frowned and reached for his phone, he didn't have a message from Kuroko either.

"Hey, Nijimura, did you speak to him after you saw him in the hospital on Friday?"

The older teen shook his head in denial. "No, I'm usually pretty busy on the weekends helping out with my siblings since my father is not completely recovered yet. And well, I like him, but we're not exactly joined at the hip. We'd made plans last week so I was concerned when he didn't show up. It just seemed a little out of character for him even with the injuries he'd sustained."

Kagami nodded. "I don't think he's in trouble, but whatever his reason for being absent is, it must be important."

-Meanwhile, on a rooftop in Tokyo…-

Kuroko felt his stomach roll from nervousness as he looked at the figure standing in front of him. He didn't want to be there, but for many reasons, he felt that he really had no choice.

Cold eyes raked over him, noting his bruised and battered appearance. "I'd say you look well, but I'm sure you're sufficiently acquainted with a mirror to know that's a lie. How did it happen? An accident? A fight? A game? Do your parents know yet? I can't imagine they'd take it well given your history with such events."

"A game. No, they're still away and I didn't want to worry them."

"I'm sure you didn't. It has been a long time since you have come to visit me on your own, Kuroko. Around a year, I believe. And for you to come during school hours, looking much the worse for wear…how entirely unexpected of you. It seems you really went through with your plans, hmm? I can't say I'm surprised. It appears my prediction was correct though, I heard your team lost the other day. My condolences." Most people would have thought the voice calm, or even polite, but Kuroko had a far greater familiarity with the degrees of scorn and anger that could be hidden in the most pleasant of phrases uttered by this speaker.

"I…miscalculated. Seirin won't advance to the Inter High final. I have to try something else."

"I wish you luck. I'm sure I would be unhappy to see such hard work continually fail. And so, what can I do for you?"

"Please, Chihiro – "

"Oh? Are we on a first name basis again? I had forgotten that we had reconciled, cousin." Kuroko flinched; the ice in these unnaturally formal, stilted words belied any pretense of warmth.

"My apologies, Mayuzumi-san." Kuroko had known this meeting would be difficult, but he had underestimated the degree to which Chihiro would still be angry with him. He observed his cousin silently for a moment. Mayuzumi was his maternal cousin, so they did not share the same last name, but there were some noticeable familial resemblances between them nevertheless. Both had relatively weak presences, pale skin, light colored spiky hair, and blank faces. Chihiro was Kuroko's elder by two years, he was also taller, more muscled, and a much more well-rounded basketball player.

The gray haired teen stared back at his cousin, an enigmatic expression on his face. He was idly thumbing the edges of the book he'd been reading on the roof when Kuroko had found him that morning, the only indication he felt anything at all at seeing his relative. Mayuzumi supposed it said something about being a creature of habit that his cousin had so quickly located him, but he wasn't one to dwell on such things. Rather he waited, with seemingly infinite patience, for Kuroko to resume his pointless errand. Mayuzumi was waiting only for the opportunity to flatly deny the younger male's request, whatever it was, before returning to his book.

He was surprised when Kuroko bowed and kept his head facing the ground in a gesture that clearly signaled his apology. Or perhaps, more accurately, his desperation.

Kuroko didn't lift his head as he spoke, but Mayuzumi could easily hear him. "Please, I need your help. I thought I was stronger, but you were right, my plan wasn't enough."

Mayuzumi glared down at his cousin even though Kuroko couldn't see the expression. "Why them, Kuroko? Why are you willing to do so much for these people that aren't even your friends, when you did  _nothing_  for yourself despite what we all told you six years ago? Why should I help you with  _this_ when you  _wouldn't let me_  help you before?"

Kuroko could feel his chest tighten at hearing the confusion, hurt, and anger in those words. It was the most emotion that his cousin had expressed toward him since they'd fought last year. When the two of them were in elementary school they had been fairly good friends. They had grown up in different cities, so they weren't as close as siblings, in all honesty he probably had a deeper bond with Hoshi than he did with Chihiro, but the cousins loved one another and had kept in touch in between their visits. Although some distance had grown between them after Kuroko quit the basketball team, they hadn't truly fallen out with one another until Kuroko had tentatively reached out to his cousin to ask his opinion about Kuroko's plans to start playing again last year. His cousin had been explosively angry and since then, when they'd encountered each other through family visits, their interactions had been at best coolly polite.

He raised his head and met the grey eyes solemnly. "I don't know if I can really explain it. I wasn't…prepared for what happened then. And after Hoshi was injured, I was lost for a while. You probably remember how my parents finally reacted to all of it. I am truly sorry; I shouldn't have turned away from everyone then, let alone from you. But please, Mayuzumi-san, I see in them a chance to recapture something important. I care about them, I'm not sure I even understand why. And in some way, I need this to work to fix myself just as much as them."

Kuroko didn't even realize he had started to cry until his cousin handed him a handkerchief. Mayuzumi didn't respond right away; he just stared at Kuroko for a long moment while gathering his thoughts.

"You're a fucking idiot, Kuroko, if you didn't know it." Although the words themselves weren't particularly kind, the tone had softened – yet it was so slight that someone else might not have even noticed it.

Kuroko laughed weakly, "I've been hearing that a lot lately as a matter of fact."

"Then maybe you should take the damned hint." The older teen sat down and leaned against the wall of the entrance structure. He raised an eyebrow before asking, "Are you going to stay over there forever?"

Kuroko wiped his face again before joining his cousin. As was typical of their interactions from before their fight, they felt no need to interrupt the stillness right away. It was not until they heard a distant chime, that finally Mayuzumi broke the silence.

"I want to be clear about something, Kuroko. I don't have the same passion for basketball you do; it's fine in its way, but it doesn't really matter to me. I certainly don't give a shit about any of the so called Generation of Miracles. They're strangers and the choices they make are their own. I think this entire idea of trying to save them is just needlessly setting you up for more pain. There's no guarantee they'll change for the better even if you do somehow manage to eventually beat them. There's nothing that says they won't hate you for it, in fact. And if you do care about them, I think that risk is even worse. Right now they're curious about you, they might even respect you, but your entry into their lives is going to cause trouble, if it hasn't already. For those reasons alone, I don't want to help you."

He paused, and Kuroko knew he wasn't finished so he merely nodded his head in understanding. "But…you haven't really taken an interest in anything quite so strongly in a long time. And you are someone that I do care about." He reached over and gently patted Kuroko's head once, before pulling him into a brief, one-armed hug, being careful not to jostle him. "So, what do you need from me?"

Kuroko blinked before smiling at his cousin. Then he explained what he was hoping for and saw Mayuzumi's eyes close tiredly in response. "You're such a little shit, Tetsuya. What were you going to do if I said no? And don't say you were going to tell my mother, I know you better than that."

The laugh that spilled from Kuroko's throat surprised them both. But after hearing his cousin refer to him by his first name, the younger teen felt relieved, both that they were heading toward a true reconciliation, and that his cousin was going to help him. They stayed up there a long time, Mayuzumi tended to miss a lot of classes in favor of reading on the roof but he was rarely marked absent for the simple reason that it was unusual for anyone to see him slip out after homeroom. Since Kuroko had already skipped the first part of the day and would have to take the train back, there was little point in returning to Kyoto as he was joining Seirin for practice today.

As they watched students crossing the campus from their high vantage point, Mayuzumi finally asked the question that Kuroko had truly been dreading, but he owed his cousin an honest response. The grey haired teen slowly whistled in acknowledgement of Kuroko's reply.

"Akashi? Fuck, Tetsuya…you couldn't have tried to make your life any harder. You couldn't have fallen for the blond one? He seems like he has a sense of humor at least."

"I didn't do it on purpose. And Akashi-kun has a sense of humor, it just isn't…for everyone." Kuroko's voice held both rueful acknowledgment and a small, but entirely unnecessary, defense of the supremely confident Rakuzan captain and it won a smile from his cousin.

"I blame your dad. He set way too high of a bar for romance with your mother, that's got to be why you have this outrageous notion in your head."

Kuroko pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You could be right, but it doesn't matter. My interest in Akashi-kun is one part of it, but the others are worth this effort, too."

"They better be. You're already just at the edge of the creepiest first date story ever. What are you going to tell people about this if it works? 'Oh yes, we met when I launched a campaign to completely change him and his friends?' That's not normal you know."

"Normal wouldn't work anyway."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't."

Silence resumed between them for a while, but it wasn't a fragile or unsettling thing to experience – it held years of their memories and hopes in a mutual bond that connected them more surely than the blood they shared. When Kuroko eventually stood to leave, his cousin eyed his painfully tentative movements and quietly wished him well, but he didn't scold Kuroko any further. They agreed to meet again soon, and then Kuroko was gone, leaving Mayuzumi to stare into the distance without really seeing it and wondering how the hell he was going to explain this to his aunt and uncle.

-Serin's Practice That Evening-

When Kuroko entered the gym, he wasn't really surprised to find that they were all waiting for him rather than working on exercises and drills. He could tell from Riko's face that Akashi had indeed reached out to her with his strange offer; it seemed they were having a team meeting, then.

He took a seat with the others. They waited until he was settled, and then some questions as to his condition were raised. Kuroko assured them he was on the mend, just not at full capacity. After they'd satisfied themselves about his prognosis and discussed updates about Himuro, their conversation trailed off into silence as they looked expectantly at Riko, waiting for her to start speaking.

Riko stood in front of them, a serious expression on her face. It was clear, to Kuroko at least, that she was trying to decide the best way to broach this topic. After a moment or two, she seemed to reach a decision and bluntly laid out the facts.

"Akashi-kun has invited us to train with Rakuzan at one of their summer camps. He mentioned that meals and lodging would be covered, so it wouldn't drain the club budget to attend, but as I am sure you can imagine, this offer is…surprising."

Most of the team turned to look at Kuroko at this news, as if simply by being his schoolmate he might have further insight into Akashi's motives. Kuroko shrugged, signaling his own confusion with the situation.

"Akashi-kun told me he agrees our loss to Kirisaki Daiichi was not an acceptable end to the contest and that it is an opportunity for us to continue our battle, but I am not sure what he actually wants from this."

Riko called for their attention once Kuroko finished speaking. "Well? Does anyone want to offer an opinion?"

There was an anxious silence for a moment as they considered their thoughts on the matter.

Hyuga shrugged. "I'm speaking just as another player, not the captain here, but I don't think it is a good idea. It puts us in their debt and they already think they'll crush us so it seems odd to me."

A troubled silence descended as several of them pondered their captain's words.

After a moment, Kuroko spoke up and his voice was thoughtful. "I don't think Akashi-kun means the offer as a way to put us in their debt. He's not petty. I think he's viewing it as a form of hospitality, it's just the circumstances are unusual. You're not wrong, though, that he definitely intends to crush us. After that...who knows"

There were a few more bemused questions and guesses offered, but no clear majority of opinion was heard. Those in favor liked the idea of training alongside such strong competitors. Concerns about revealing their strategies or appearing weak were debated, with the fatalistic conclusion that Rakuzan had already seen Seirin both play and lose, silencing that objection. Everyone was uncertain about the potential outcome – what would happen to their self-confidence if they arrived as guests and were thoroughly trampled? What if they won?

It was finally Teppei who decided as he offered a warm laugh and smile. "I say yes. Let's have some fun."

Riko stared at him for a moment before a smile cracked her face. "I don't know how fun it will be, but alright. I'll accept Akashi-kun's offer. Let's all be sure to watch their championship game, who knows what we'll learn. For now, divide up, we've got to get some work done tonight after all."

At the end of practice, Riko asked for Kuroko to stay behind. She looked at him with a concerned expression – he had done modified versions of many of their workouts and training sessions today but he still looked exhausted.

"Kuroko-kun, I am glad you felt well enough to come today, but I think you may be overdoing it."

He shook his head. "I have to push as hard as I can, Riko-san. I want to be stronger and if we are going to train with Rakuzan, I can't get too far behind. I can't be a liability. I am being careful though, I know my limits."

She gave him a look that was filled with fond exasperation. "I see. That reminds me of something, Akashi-kun took great pains to let me know you could bring Nigou to the camp. Who or what on earth is that?"

Kuroko flashed a brief smile. "My dog."

Riko waited but Kuroko apparently had no intention of offering additional information, so she prompted him by asking, "Your dog?"

"Yes, when I was released from the hospital yesterday, Murasakibara-kun gave me a puppy he found in the alley. They think Nigou looks like me, so his name formed in response to that."

"I…see." She repeated the words slowly but it was clear she didn't actually understand the situation. Which was fine, Kuroko didn't really either. It was comforting to know that Nigou could go though, as he didnt know if his parents would have returned, or perhaps even left again, at that point.

He gave her a small bow before departing. Riko watched him leave and she couldn't shake the feeling that something would change as the result of this camp. When Akashi had called her, he had been completely polite and courteous; it had been so disconcerting for her that she thought by the end of their conversation a note of amusement had crept into his voice. He'd ended the call with a hope to hear from her soon and a reminder to convey his suggestion about Nigou to Tetsuya. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she had a sneaking suspicion that basketball was only part of the reason they had been invited.

-Inter High Championship Match, Rakuzan vs Kirisaki Daiichi-

Rakuzan's assigned locker room was quiet, and except for Kagami's restless pacing, the atmosphere was calm. Akashi's face and attitude gave absolutely nothing away as to his feelings about this match, but it was unnecessary anyway. Each player was thinking more or less identically – that they would win this game.

Akashi surveyed his teammates for a moment before addressing them in an even, cool voice. "This match is no different from any other; our task is but to carry out the natural order and become the champions it is our right to be. Keep yourselves protected and play as aggressively as you like as long as it's clean. I shouldn't think they need to possess the ball very often in fact."

After a mild rebuke to Kagami to calm down, they arrived at the court in an orderly manner; there was no teasing or joking around. Their movements were unhurried and curiously precise, as if somehow choreographed. Hanamiya observed them from his side and felt a moment's uncertainty, then he pushed it aside. He knew Rakuzan was strong, but he would show those brats true strength.

The two teams warmed up and the tension was almost unbearable. Most of those in the stands didn't quite understand where it was coming from as neither team was interacting with the other. It wasn't like in some of the other matches when players had argued, taunted, or even deliberately intimidated each other before the game. It would seem they ignored one another, yet the audience still couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Seirin, minus Himuro who was still in the hospital for physical therapy, were sitting together to watch the game. Kuroko had invited Nijimura to attend as well, but he had to decline. They all had mixed feelings about the match – they hardly wanted Kirisaki Daiichi to win after all, yet it wasn't their goal for Rakuzan to emerge from the tournament as champions, either. They viewed the court wistfully; they had come so close this time.

When the two teams lined up at the start of the game, Akashi was across from Hanamiya. The captains regarded each other and Akashi took a moment to communicate his plans for total evisceration of the other team. Hanamiya laughed at what he considered simple arrogance.

It was then that Hanamiya truly made a mistake. His lips curled in a sneer as he spoke softly to Akashi, "So I'm facing the famous prodigy Akashi Seijuro, am I? I will show you that your title is meaningless. You are trash, just like every other team we've encountered to get here. I heard we got to your schoolmate, the little shadow? Even he must have thought you weren't worthy if he defected to another team rather than play with you, and look what happened to him. You will be caught in my spider's web soon enough."

The small, almost gentle smile that crossed Akashi's face as he listened to Hanamiya was terrifying for what it conveyed. "Webs are curiously intricate things, but they are easily brushed aside when you know their weak points. It is appropriate that you should mention your match with Tetsuya, we all wanted to have a word with you about that game. Our conversation will be this match, I am sure we will understand one another well enough by the end."

It was one of the most savage games any of the spectators could ever remember seeing, for too many reasons to count. While Kirisaki Daiichi was experienced with using screens to injure their opponents, they were hopelessly ill-equipped to handle the Emperor Eye as Akashi constantly issued timely warnings and directions to keep his teammates safe. They stole the ball almost before the Kirisaki Daiichi players could touch it, Kise copied and improved their moves when he could – but he wasn't allowed to try anything violent, Murasakibara lazily swatted away anything that came his way, Aomine showed an impressively focused attack, and Midorima sent three pointers into the basket one after the other. And if it seemed that Akashi appeared to continually force the other team to sit from an excessively high number of ankle breaks, then it was simply chalked up to a particularly aggressive game for him.

It was obvious that Rakuzan was toying with their opponents, but in a way that still technically upheld the game's code of conduct. Akashi had very firmly instructed his team that they were to play scrupulously by the book – there would be no questionable retaliation no matter the provocation. Despite that, it was immediately clear they were inflicting severe psychological attacks on their challengers. Because naturally, they were free to score as many points as they would like. And it suited them to score a great many points in this game. They were in fact, using a version of Kirisaki Daiichi's own strategy against them and if the furious expression on Hanamiya's face was any indication, it was working amazingly well.

At half time, Akashi looked contemplatively at Kagami. The other redhead was clearly resentful he hadn't been able to take Kirisaki Daiichi on yet. "Taiga. I know you want to punish them for what happened to your friends, but you will not be allowed on the court if you cannot control yourself. Can you give me your word that you will behave? If not, you will not play."

Frustrated with the entire thing, Kagami practically growled out his promise. Akashi stared at him, unimpressed by either the sentiment or his disposition. "We have no reason to be threatened by this team, Taiga. They are beneath us in every possible way and your temper does an injustice to our superior standing. The advantage is ours, it always is. This battle is one of the minds as much as anything else. They want us to be angry, to make mistakes. Why are you conceding the contest before you even step foot in the arena? If you truly value your vengeance that cheaply then so be it, but we are not going to indulge you in so tedious a display. We are here to win, and that means total victory, you should surely appreciate what goes into that by now."

Although he tried to sputter out a protest, Kagami saw identical unconvinced expressions on each of their faces. Finally he expelled an angry breath but forced himself to calm down. Seeing this, Akashi nodded and they went over their plans for the second half.

When he concluded going over the strategy, he offered a comment that took them by surprise. "I am sure they are aggravated that they have so far been unable to significantly injure us. Keep in mind the pace will be substantially more aggressive beginning in the third quarter; I can't watch all of you at once."

"We don't need a nursemaid, Akashi. We know how to do our jobs." Midorima's irritated response was mirrored by the others.

Their captain offered a rare half smile at hearing the indignation in Midorima's voice. "Indeed, I have every confidence of that. Very well then, if we're all clear, let's go finish this."

After they returned to the court and Aomine went to sit on the bench, Akashi spoke to him apart from the others. "Don't get too cold, Daiki. We will need your strength again, especially if Taiga cannot keep his promise."

Aomine's eyes flickered over to his replacement, whose aura was practically radioactive with his bloodthirst. "He's an idiot. But he's not wrong; it's irksome to have to play this way."

Akashi's expression was impassive. "He'll distract them long enough for our purposes. I'm sure we'll all find the fourth quarter more…dynamic."

Aomine shrugged. It didn't make much difference, really. His job was done for now, he didn't have much interest in anything else right then.

It seemed Hanamiya had regrouped during the break however, and the calmly calculating expression on his face alerted them all that he had something planned. They noticed he had also swapped a player, and Akashi's mind filtered through the data he had on this athlete. Kentaro Seto…a key link in the spider web strategy. He was strong, but it was the mental aptitude he brought to the table that would be a more significant threat than his physical capabilities alone.

As he surveyed their positions on the court, Akashi noticed that Shintaro was being gradually hemmed in by Furuhashi and Hara while Yamakazi marked Ryota. Hanamiya and Seto were hovering roughly in between these groups but not close enough to block his own movements. It left himself, Taiga, and Atsushi currently unguarded but as their center was staying under their own net for defense, it meant he really only had one option for passing. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated the situation. Hanamiya and Seto were clearly prepared to intercept a pass to Taiga, and it seemed they didn't think he would move closer on his own.

His eyes met Hanamiya's for a moment; he didn't care for the smugness he saw there. He moved forward with the ball and as he'd done in most of their face-offs so far, once he was in range he ankle broke the other captain. Strictly speaking, this was his policy for anyone that tried to defy him in a game, but he would be lying if he denied a certain additional satisfaction at seeing this particular person on the ground. As he continued forward to make the shot, he became aware of the rush of motion behind him as suddenly he was surrounded in a loose circle as the others abandoned their marks to guard him. Ah, so they thought he couldn't work around such a minor inconvenience, did they?

With an almost lazy grace, Akashi shot the ball over the partial barricade of human bodies. He saw their attempt to strike him as they ostensibly moved in for a potential rebound, but he was not so readily taken down and evaded their crude attempts with minimal effort. He saw the brief flare of irritation on Hanamiya's face and spoke to him quietly, assured that his words would still be heard as if even the chaos of the stadium itself would not dare to interfere with his wishes. "My title is far from meaningless, Uncrowned King. Yours, however, is up for debate."

On their next possession, Kagami was finally given the ball and he raced through the maze of assembled players with hardly a glance to spare for any of them. He easily dunked the ball over Seto with one of his more impressive jumps that left the tall Kirisaki Daiichi player almost speechless with its height. He didn't know that Akashi was evaluating his movements; he only knew he was finally able to vent some of his frustration. Kagami understood that Aomine would be the starter, he was one of the Miracles after all, but it didn't lessen the aggravation he felt in particular with having to wait to challenge this team.

Akashi was thinking hard. He didn't like the way Kirisaki Daiichi kept leaving their power forward open. With Kagami's phenomenal jumps, that was essentially an invitation for them to score, and whether Hanamiya intended to attempt a comeback or not, he was not likely to simply surrender so easily. He took stock of their positions before calling for Taiga to switch with Ryota, both of whom looked startled. But they read the serious expression on his face and obeyed without question.

Midorima caught up to him briefly. "What are you doing, Akashi?"

"They want to trap Taiga when he lands; the extended time he's in the air allows them an opportunity to position themselves. Ryota can't quite reach his height but it means he has a faster and more stable landing. It's risky to leave Taiga as the ace right now but I'd prefer to avoid switching Daiki back in for the moment. We'll need his reserves for the fourth quarter."

Up in the stands, Hyuga commented on the switch. "That's an unusual move, their positions have some overlap of course but Kagami is a stronger jumper which would help him avoid some damage."

Teppei shook his head. "But Kagami's also bigger. He's literally a larger target; that prolonged descent means he's more exposed. It looks like Akashi's trying to protect him."

Kuroko agreed with the center. "No matter what Akashi-kun thinks about teamwork, he wouldn't want the other team to have the satisfaction of interfering with his own plans. He's absolute and that means protecting those in his domain."

Riko eyed him, wondering if he knew that Akashi was considering adding  _Kuroko_  to his domain. She didn't think he did, or at least hadn't considered the implications. But she acknowledged that despite Rakuzan's fearsome game record, there had never been the slightest whisper of a rumor that their captain abused his teammates.

The third quarter was significantly faster-paced than the previous two, just as Akashi predicted. Hanamiya had ordered his team to try to distract and separate Rakuzan so they could more easily deal with them. It might have worked, if they weren't so individually strong and already used to working alone. It became an exercise of wills between the teams and there was not a member of either team that wanted to see the other emerge victorious. Naturally, tempers started to flare and Kirisaki Daiichi tried to fluster their opponents with taunts. While Akashi had to sharply remind both Kise and Kagami of their objectives; Midorima wouldn't dignify the other team with a response, and Murasakibara didn't have enough interactions with the other team to truly get his temper on edge. But when Akashi did decide to score during this quarter, he made a conscious effort to communicate his displeasure with the other team – Seirin as a whole would be surprised if the Kirisaki Daiichi team wasn't sore from the amount of times they'd been forced to sit and kneel.

It wasn't until the fourth quarter however, that Akashi's strategy truly came to light. First he benched Midorima, an act that drew surprised looks throughout the stadium. Then Aomine was brought back in and after brief court-side huddle, they turned to face their opponents. It was not lost on anyone that both Kise and Aomine seemed to have drifted into a state of even harsher focus – Kuroko narrowed his eyes before he whispered, "They're in the Zone."

"What's the Zone?" Furihata's question held confusion and it was shared by several of their teammates.

"Both Aomine-kun and Kise-kun can enter it at will. They haven't done it in a long time however; they stopped caring enough to bother. It's when they can exceed even their own limits, at least for a while. They're already amazing, but this puts them on an entirely different level. Watch and you'll see." Kuroko's voice contained an emotion they couldn't quite name - it was somewhere between excitement, dread, and wistfulness.

"Why would they bench Midorima though? He never misses, even if Aomine and Kise are better like this, wouldn't it make sense to keep him in?" Hyuga's question was fair, but it told Kuroko they truly didn't understand what the Miracles were capable of yet.

"Midorima-kun's passion for basketball is deep, but his preference is to keep the game a long-distance one. It's difficult to truly force a match up with him because of it, even among the other Miracles. Kise-kun and Aomine-kun are rivals as well as teammates; Akashi-kun has probably set a contest between them for the fourth quarter. It may be the same with Kagami-kun and Murasakibara-kun as well, I don't know. By taking Midorima-kun out of the game, he's going to force both teams to play closer to each other. It is as close to an outright declaration of war as he can get without returning their unfair tactics."

Kuroko proved to be correct, at least in part. Akashi hadn't limited his contest to Aomine and Kise; he wanted all of them to win every match-up against their counterpart on the other team, while using the opportunity to pit themselves against one another as well to heighten the competition. He could do no less, it was the championship game after all - they had to show the entire assembled audience Rakuzan's superior skill. And who could truly test them…but each other?

What followed made the first three quarters look like a joke. As Kise and Aomine had their own internal contest for dominance over the ball, it pushed Kagami to work that much harder to even get to handle it at all and soon he was in a state close to the Zone, but he didn't quite manage to enter it. Meanwhile Murasakibara got annoyed by this display and took out his pique quite aggressively whenever Kirisaki Daiichi managed to get within his range. They did not score for the entire fourth quarter, not that they had done particularly well during the first three either.

Akashi supervised all of this with the serene precision of an emperor pleased with his vassals. He himself handled the ball very little during this last quarter, content to see the punishing blocks, drives, steals, dunks, and aerial battles the others deployed. Nobody could question his presence was felt though, as he issued instructions, kept the ball moving between his players as needed, and continued thwarting Kirisaki Daiichi's efforts.

There was a tense moment when Seto managed to briefly block Akashi's view of Kise and Hara executed a swift, harsh blow to his side, but Kise's own quick reflexes saved him from sustaining too heavy an injury and he was quickly back on his feet. It was clear, however, from the narrowing of his normally playful eyes that he fully intended to pay them back for it. And his manner of repayment was thorough as he made their plays look sloppy from his own flashy elegance and he drove up Rakuzan's score in short order. Aomine barked out a laugh as he saw Kise's actions and so he stepped up his own participation - he certainly wasn't going to have it said he was outdone by a model.

At the end of the match, with Kirisaki Daiichi left stunned and staring at their pitifully small score, Kuroko was not surprised that Akashi's eyes unerringly found him in the crowd. The redhead's expression was just as inscrutable as Kuroko's, but they understood one another perfectly in that moment nonetheless. It was not that Akashi had done anything particularly different in this game; it was rather what had  _not_  changed that was significant. Kuroko understood that Akashi had refused to let their tentative feelings for one another compromise his strategy and in some sense, Kuroko appreciated that. He didn't want Akashi to pretend to change just to humor him; he wanted all of them to truly rediscover what this game had to offer.

For his part, Akashi was communicating to Kuroko that the reasons for his calmness during the game had been twofold. First, he was as confident of his victory in this game as with any other, and second, he didn't feel the need to more actively avenge Kuroko's injuries for him - he expected Kuroko to do it himself the next time his team played Kirisaki Daiichi. It was an acknowledgement that while he didn't believe Seirin could actually beat  _Rakuzan_ , he did think that they would grow beyond their current rank. That didn't mean, however, that he hadn't wanted to reinforce his superiority just a little and the deliberately taunting caliber of their interaction with Kirisaki Daiichi showed it. The small quirk of Akashi's lips before he looked away to join his team told Kuroko something else as well – the redhead was perfectly aware that Seirin had just watched them toy with the team that had wrecked their own championship hopes. It was a powerful message to send to someone that had just been invited to join them for training, and Akashi knew it.

Seirin collectively sat in silence for a moment, eyes on the scoreboard and lost in thought. Izuki finally offered, without the slightest effort to make a pun, "What exactly did we sign up for again?"

Everyone was startled by the iron-clad resolve in Kuroko's reply. "We signed up to become the best in Japan. There'd be no point if it were easy to do. The training camp won't have an official game, but it is still our next hurdle."

Hyuga hit him, lightly, in deference to his still bruised body. "We know that, idiot. It doesn't mean we can't recognize the monsters in front of us for what they are."

If Kuroko's quietly murmured, "But they weren't always monsters," went unheard, perhaps it was best for everyone.

It was later, as Kuroko was at home playing with Nigou and thinking about the past few days that he was forced to confront his own priorities. Chihiro had been right that there were no guarantees regarding what would happen if Seirin ever managed to defeat Rakuzan. But what troubled Kuroko more than that was, for the first time since he'd started this plan, the worry that he might just be weak enough to sacrifice his goals to prevent losing contact with the prodigies altogether. They'd become so much more than an abstract target to overcome, especially after his time in the hospital, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, they'd become important to him beyond basketball. It was an added risk, one that hadn't been part of the initial strategy, and it was prompting several unhappy speculations on his part. He turned it over in his mind for a long time, trying to figure out how he could save all of it…or failing that, which aspect he was willing to abandon.

As if sensing this unexpected wavering in his master, Nigou nuzzled into him and gave a soft bark, drawing Kuroko's attention downward. And then Kuroko smiled as he saw the discarded toy basketball on the floor – of course, how foolish of him not to remember. With all they were balancing, basketball was never just a game and his goals were intertwined, he couldn't abandon any of them without chipping away at the foundation of everything he was working toward. He'd blame his current fatigue for his momentary doubts, but he wouldn't allow himself to continue down that path again.

So Rakuzan had again claimed the championship title…it was not unexpected for all that it emphasized his own disappointment. For now, he had to content himself with the wait that would be put to good use planning, training, and recovering. He needed to go visit Himuro soon, as well as Hoshi and Takao; but he'd postpone a visit with the latter two until his injuries had fully faded.

Still, despite his momentary uncertainty, he was looking forward to what the next several weeks would bring. The Inter High was over and the chance had been lost, but in some way, the moment didn't feel as bleak as he anticipated. Perhaps because he wasn't the type to wallow, or maybe he simply knew the contest wasn't really decided yet. He reached down to stroke Nigou, who responded happily to the attention, and he drifted back into his thoughts. As he'd told Izuki, their next encounter was approaching, and with it a different set of challenges – he would be ready.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy AkaKuro Week 2016! Although this chapter has nothing to do with the prompts…it's something. Welcome to Chapter 15, I hope you like it :-)

 The Shadow Stratagem

Chapter 15

* * *

 

Kuroko wasn't exactly surprised that Akashi sought him out in the library the next time he was on duty. He hadn't seen the other since Rakuzan's victory at the Inter High and hadn't spoken to him since the day he was released from the hospital, but Kuroko had sent a congratulatory text and received an acknowledgment in reply. His injuries were much improved by this point; Kuroko had just the faintest lingering aches thanks to his obedience to the doctor's instructions. Because of this, he was cautiously optimistic as to his ability to fully rejoin Seirin for practice in a day or two. Riko had been less willing to endorse this plan without seeing him first and insisted she would evaluate him herself.

He'd been hidden in the shelves, dutifully returning books to their proper locations when he sensed the change in the atmosphere that signaled someone had started down the aisle. He looked up, saw it was Akashi and nodded a greeting at the other's approach. "Good afternoon, Akashi-kun."

Akashi walked unhurriedly toward him, returning the greeting cordially enough, "Good afternoon, Tetsuya. I see you have improved since our last encounter."

Kuroko nodded. "I feel much better, thank you."

Akashi smiled. "I am glad to hear it." He watched for a brief moment as Tetsuya turned back to his work. "You're not curious as to why I'm here, Tetsuya?" His voice was almost playful, mirrored in the casual way he stood leaning against a shelf.

Kuroko paused in the middle of checking a book's location, mulling over the question briefly. "I know you must have a reason to be here since the team is still having practice today. I am content to wait until you are ready to tell me why you sought me out."

The redhead nodded in acknowledgment and reached into his bag to extract a folder of papers that he set on top of the library cart that was in between them. "You almost take the fun out of it that way. But no matter – it is a simple enough errand."

Akashi gave a partial shrug before continuing. "You didn't have to file paperwork or gain permission to play with Seirin because of your unique status. However the tournament officials reported your injury to Rakuzan as a courtesy and it was then brought to my attention as Student Council President as an issue of student outreach. The administration is concerned about your ongoing health and ability to focus on your studies with the travel arrangements you've been using. There was also an additional concern of letting a member of a team that advanced so far in the tournament escape from our own roster and noises were made about barring you from further competition with Seirin. I advocated on your behalf – you need to sign those and provide a statement from your doctor that you are healthy enough to continue with the pattern you've established for the time being. I also assured the powers that be that you were not interested in trying out for Rakuzan's team at this time." He ended that with a note of amusement.

Kuroko nodded slowly. He picked up the folder and looked through it quickly – seeing a statement from Akashi that he had confidence in both Kuroko's recovery and his ability to juggle his schedule. Kuroko raised an eyebrow at this before noting the various forms that would need his attention. He looked back at Akashi before speaking, "Thank you for your help, Akashi-kun. I am sorry I caused extra work for you."

"Oh believe me, it was my pleasure. It was an exceptionally diverting encounter to see their reactions to your activities." His eyes warmed for a moment before his demeanor changed to a more serious one. "There is, unfortunately, another point of concern I was less successful with negotiating on your behalf. While your grades are satisfactory for athletic competition, Rakuzan's advising office is of the opinion that your performance is suffering from undue stress. You are going to be put on probation, Tetsuya."

The silence that descended at those words was thick with Kuroko's shock and he fumbled the book he'd reached for, turning wide blue eyes to meet Akashi's in astonishment. Akashi nodded in acknowledgement. "I will admit it isn't quite fair as your grades are superior to most of the starting lineup here, but I believe you are being viewed as an enemy agent at the moment and so this guise of academic concern is really one of athletic espionage – even though I pointed out your team was defeated. Rakuzan will file a petition to bar you from further competition if your overall average is not one level higher at the end of this term. I looked into the rules and it is unfortunately quite possible you would not be allowed to finish out the year of eligibility if this occurred."

Kuroko was stunned. He knew this was not Akashi's doing, there was no need for him to do such a thing after all since Akashi didn't truly think Seirin was a threat. It was as Akashi said – Kuroko's grades were perfectly eligible for competition by either Seirin's or Rakuzan's official guidelines. It was true they could be better, but to require him to raise them so quickly, particularly with no further competitions scheduled for this term, meant the administration wasn't pleased by his activities. He sighed quietly; he knew he could do it, but it would be an exceptionally tense time until the end of the term.

"Thank you for telling me, Akashi-kun. I will work hard to meet these requirements." His voice, quiet as it always ways, was different for the resignation it held this time.

Akashi looked at him steadily. "I asked you once before why you don't seem to do as well in your classes as you presumably could. I will ask it again as it seems you can no longer afford to continue hiding your talent this way."

Kuroko traced a design on the cover of the book he was still holding. "Akashi-kun, I'm really not hiding anything. I have a certain ability as relates to the strategies and comments you saw in my notebook and that somehow has convinced you there's something else to discover. It is true I could do better in my classes, but it has nothing to do with deliberately concealing myself and has simply been a combination of disinterest or incomprehension. I will work harder so that I can stay eligible. I could do better, however it doesn't mean I am someone like you or Midorima-kun."

The silence was nearly palpable before Akashi finally replied, a tone of doubtful skepticism plainly ringing through. "I see." He stared at Tetsuya for a moment before he offered. "I know you can do it on your own, but I would also be happy to tutor you." At the other's look of surprise he shrugged. "I find I am almost unbearably interested in playing against you. I can't explain it; your defeat by Kirisaki Daiichi should have been enough confirmation of my existing views. Yet somehow, I wonder at my sense of relief – is it because I was worried about being the one to defeat you? Or if it is somehow because I recognize you as a legitimate threat? It might even be both, but for whatever the reason, I assure you I am just as eager to ensure you remain eligible to play as you are." The smile that crossed his face was perhaps half whimsy and half amusement, but it represented a significance far greater: Akashi meant to meet Tetsuya head on at the training camp – for whatever consequences there might be, it seemed he was ready for a resolution.

Kuroko understood this message plainly enough. He nodded. "I appreciate your willingness to help. I will remember it as I prepare." A small half smile appeared. "You would do well to also offer this option to Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, and Kagami-kun, though."

Akashi shook his head in mock dismay. "I know lost causes when I see them." He considered it for a moment longer. "But I will offer. It shouldn't be said Rakuzan sacrifices academics for athletics after all." He levelled a teasing glance at the other male. "I will explain it was your suggestion, however. So I expect you will have their undying gratitude in short order."

Kuroko laughed briefly before recalling where they were. "I will be on guard then." He tapped the file Akashi had provided. "Thank you, Akashi-kun. I know you think I am foolish for this plan but I appreciate the opportunity to move forward with it. Riko-san communicated the arrangements had been set for the training camp, so with the condition I meet Rakuzan's requirements, I look forward to attending."

The mood shifted ever so slightly before Akashi responded. "Your coach is a formidable opponent. I wish she played shogi for all the careful maneuvering she demonstrated while we worked out the details. It would seem she is rather suspicious of me." Akashi's eyes wandered to the folder he'd given the other and he stared at it as if it held an answer he sought. "I suppose it isn't unwarranted. I can only imagine Seirin's reactions when it came up."

Kuroko shuffled a book into place on a nearby shelf before he replied – he was at work after all – but he gave the question serious thought. "We know Rakuzan is strong, there was naturally a divide among anticipation and anxiety. I am sure it is no surprise to you that a few more went toward the nervous side after we watched the championship game. But," and here Kuroko gave a fleeting smile, "we never imagined facing you would be easy. So we're not going to give up before we even get there."

Akashi considered those words carefully for a moment. "I suppose it would be out of character given what I've seen so far. I don't know if it more directly speaks to your stubbornness or your delusions, but either way, I have no doubt the training camp will prove enlightening." He quirked his lips in wry acknowledgment before continuing. "Study hard, Tetsuya. I don't want to find myself playing host to Seirin if you're not there because of academic sanctions." He nodded toward the file, "Let me know if you need my help with the forms or with studying. Otherwise, I don't imagine we'll be seeing too much of each other until the camp."

"I will. Thank you again, Akashi-kun. I look forward to seeing you then." His voice was steady with resolve; he would meet this challenge as he did any other.

With a small nod, Akashi turned and left the other to his tasks. The redhead had no doubt that Tetsuya would be successful with his grades – but it wasn't something he was entirely pleased about, if he were honest. He truly didn't know what it would mean when Rakuzan crushed Seirin, as naturally they would, and all he had to go on was that Tetsuya seemed irrepressibly resilient about such things.

It took only forty-five minutes, probably only five minutes after Akashi would have conveyed his offer to tutor them at the end of practice, for Kuroko's phone to light up with near frantic intensity under the barrage of messages he received. It had happened gradually, this exchange of phone numbers and other contact information, but from the ferocity of indignant accusations hurtling his way, one would never know they did not regularly engage in such antics.

"KUROKOCCHI - why did you unleash Akashicchi on us?!" Kise's question was accompanied by a series of distressed emoticons.

"What the hell, Tetsu?" Curt and to the point, Aomine's distaste was plain nonetheless.

"Kuroko, you little shit. You better enjoy feeling as healthy as you do right now because it isn't going to last long." Kagami-kun's threat would be scarier if Kuroko didn't know he'd have time to cool down before seeing him again.

Strangely enough, a calmly approving message from Midorima-kun also made its way to him. "Akashi let me know the others will have tutoring and that it was your idea. I appreciate your influence – athletes need to train their minds just as much as their bodies."

Even Murasakibara-kun sent one, "Kuro-chin, you're causing such trouble. Everyone's being so loud."

Kuroko smiled a little. They were all outrageous, in their way. But he dutifully replied while denying culpability as he merely stated that it was Akashi's will, not his. This was true enough, if slightly evasive.

* * *

When Kuroko was finally cleared to return to practice, he didn't show up alone. His cousin met him at the train station and they went to the gym together. Kuroko introduced Mayuzumi to the others, and there was a polite, if confused, welcome.

Mayuzumi shot a look of disgust toward Kuroko. "You didn't say anything ahead of time, did you?"

At the other's headshake, the elder sighed and rolled his eyes. This was so typical. He looked at the assembled team before turning to Riko. "May I address everyone, for a moment?" The words were polite enough but in quintessential fashion, Mayuzumi made it seem the courtesy was not one that anyone truly deserved.

After receiving permission, Mayuzumi began speaking, his comments quick and acerbic. "You all know Tetsuya's skill derives from misdirection and from what he told me, his primary partner's talents complemented that strategy. But with Himuro out for the summer, you all need to learn how to fill in that gap if you want to have any chance at all of not getting crushed in this suicidal mission you've agreed to."

Hyuga had listened to this, willing to hear of a plan to prevent total defeat at the summer camp, but he didn't understand. "What did he ask you to teach us, then?"

Mayuzumi scowled before his expression smoothed out again. "Let's just say you all were being a little short sighted about how his misdirection can be used." He looked over at his cousin. "Not that this strategy would necessarily work in an official game, but from what I understand, that's not necessarily the point." He withdrew a sketchpad from his bag and with swiftly illustrated a diagram of what he proposed. Turning it around so that the captive audience could see, he explained. "We used to play basketball together when we were younger; you may have noticed some similarities between us. This system wasn't formalized, we didn't have a consistent team to develop it with after all. But you can extrapolate from there."

Kuroko's voice was heard next, in an effort to clarify. "Himuro-san's stillness is the trick in his Mirage Shot. It works because of his precision. Rakuzan has seen almost all of our current skills, but they won't necessarily expect to see it like this. The trouble is, it isn't likely to be effective for the whole game. So we have to stay close enough to be able to make up for when we can't use this strategy. And of course, it almost certainly won't work against anyone matched up to Akashi-kun."

Mitobe caught Koganei's attention and they communicated silently for a moment before Koganei spoke up. "Mitobe wants to know if you think Kise could copy this, too."

Kuroko tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "Not exactly, he has too much presence and the others won't be as cooperative as we are. But Kise-kun is determined and he won't miss the basic premise of this attack if he has time to really look at it and he could almost certainly counter it."

Mayuzumi's impatient rejoinder sounded quickly after. "And you would do well to let him see it. After all, if you're leading him along a path that's familiar to you, then he doesn't have the advantage, now does he?"

A sharp whistle sounded as Riko signaled for their attention. "This is an interesting plan. Thank you, Kuroko-kun, Mayuzumi-san." Her eyes were showing her excitement and Seirin as a whole was almost intimidated by the thought of the numerous drills they would have to endure to perfect this process. Their fear proved well founded, as Riko split them into groups almost immediately, drawing Mayuzumi alongside her as she evaluated and drew up plans for each player. The normally caustic teen tried to restrain his impatience, he had agreed to help his cousin after all, but Mayuzumi wasn't thrilled to be enabling this bit of foolishness, either.

At the end, Mayuzumi looked over the team. They were tired, nearly comically so, but they retained a sense of optimistic comradery that seemed alien to him. His eyes found his cousin easily enough and he was struck again by the difference the younger male displayed in this arena. He truly didn't understand it. He was even further disgruntled when they began thanking him and he shot a look of eloquent displeasure toward Tetsuya, who smiled anyway. Mayuzumi would be attending their practices off and on until the training camp to help them develop the new regimen. He had half a mind to tell his cousin that if anyone hugged him he wasn't coming back.

Still, after they'd cleaned up, Tetsuya asked if Mayuzumi would wait a moment while he spoke to Riko. The older male shook his head and was leaning against a wall watching as the two spoke.

"Riko-san, I have to tell you something." Kuroko's statement was bland enough but it didn't bode well. And he had his coach's complete attention as he explained about the academic sanction and medical forms. Riko's signature would be required in a few places as well. Her eyebrows shot up as she reviewed the forms he'd taken out of his bag for her review – this seemed excessive. But she dutifully signed and entrusted them back to his care.

"Kuroko-kun, let me know if you need help studying." Her offer came as both his friend and his coach, a condition he understood perfectly well and he thanked her with a sincere, deep bow before rejoining his cousin.

The two left and Mayuzumi walked him back to the station before he would return home himself. Before Kuroko boarded, Mayuzumi offered advice. "They'll get the hang of it soon enough, perhaps even in time for the camp. But you didn't tell them about the potential drawback if they do perfect it."

Kuroko hesitated before meeting Mayuzumi's gaze. He knew it was a problem but he answered honestly enough, "I can't play with them next year anyway. It won't be a liability for long."

Mayuzumi stared at him, silently and consideringly as he weighed what that implication truly meant. "You could, you know. You don't like Rakuzan enough to be tied there. You could transfer. I know my mom and dad would be thrilled for you to stay with us if you didn't want to get an apartment here."

Kuroko shrugged, but it wasn't a gesture of apathy, rather one of knowing the truth was in front of him but being unable to act upon it. "I know. I gave it some thought. And it might come to that, depending how things go over the next several months. But…" he trailed off for a moment and his eyes turned wistful. "…as much as I want to play with the team at Seirin, there are some important ties to Rakuzan, too."

The moment could have turned melancholy, but Mayuzumi was wiser than that. "You're an idiot of unprecedented proportions you know. No wonder they put you on probation." Kuroko had filled his cousin in on the new requirements earlier, but they hadn't really discussed it further.

Kuroko laughed, aware of the other's intent and agreed. He waved farewell and boarded the train soon after, thanking Mayuzumi again for his help. The elder shrugged and left, too uncomfortable with the praise to do anything else.

As Kuroko watched the passing night scenes from his window seat, he was unable to prevent himself from thinking of Mayuzmi's words. It was true this technique would render his own effectiveness to a marginal level, but his whole point in challenging Rakuzan was that it was not what one person did, rather the team's spirit and cooperation. He couldn't be a hypocrite, even though it pained him. He knew Riko would figure it out sooner or later, and he would explain it to her in just that way – he had no other choice.

Still, when he found himself extracting his phone and sending a hasty message to Akashi, he didn't really know what possessed him. But he told the other about his progress with getting his documentation together and his improved study schedule that would be implemented soon.

Kuroko didn't expect a reply – what was there really to say? But his phone lit with a reply soon enough.

"I have never questioned the strength of your determination. Your diligence is commendable, even if it is baffling." A second message followed swiftly.

"Travel safely, Tetsuya. And don't worry. In this at least, you have me as an ally. You'll get through the probation one way or another."

Tetsuya stared at his phone, a smile gently stretching across his face as he read this. He took a few moments to appreciate the sense of warmth that spread through him before replying.

"Good night, Akashi-kun. Thank you." It was simple, but Kuroko knew Akashi was astute enough to understand he meant for more than just this vote of confidence – it was another thanks for not allowing the administration to sabotage his chances.

It went unanswered, but Kuroko didn't mind. He had enough to occupy his thoughts as he thought over the next few weeks…especially with Mayuzumi's words echoing through his head every few minutes. He looked down at his phone as the train gently swayed. No significant ties to Rakuzan? No, perhaps he didn't…but as the faces of Rakuzan's basketball team flashed through his head, one by one, he knew he wasn't completely free of them, either.


End file.
